Knowledge:Good? Or evil?
by ForeverBrunette
Summary: Myrnin, Claire, Michael, Shane, and Eve all go to high school togther. Amelie is still the oldest vampire and founder of Morganville. But what happens when Claire and Myrnin are too smart for their own good? Will they use their powers for good or evil?
1. Skipped Two Grades

_**I have just written this chapter and I really hope you like it. I think that a lot of pro-Myrnin+Claire-people will like it. **____**But I hope others do too. I kind of had this idea because I liked the thought of Myrnin and Claire together and wanted to play with it. But I didn't want him being a vampire that's over hundreds of years older than her. Can you say, "yuck"? Anyway, I got bored and wrote it. Amelie is still the founder though and Oliver is still a hippie jerk vamp that works Common Grounds. But that will come up later. Enjoy! Oh, and I don't know if I have to do this and I feel kind of stupid but I'm going to do it anyway because I've seen a lot of other people doing it:**_

_**DISCLAIMER: All characters and places in this story belong to Rachel Caine.**_

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**_Claire Danvers was sixteen and was in the senior classes of Morganville High School. She easily tested out of all her other classes with flying colors. At first, it was her perfect opportunity. But then she realized how much trouble being smart could bring her. When she got into her class, the first thing she spotted was a really hot boy with a light brown mop on his head staring at her with a smirk on his face and a gleam in his eye that she wasn't familiar with. Then she saw another equally—if not hotter—guy sitting two desks away from him, staring at her with one eyebrow arched and a smile playing across his lips. He had long, luscious, curling black hair and shining eyes that seemed to look right through her.

A blush slowly crept across her cheeks as she put her head down and walked to the teacher. She handed him her note and he smiled wide at her. Apparently being smart wasn't that bad to the teachers. He gestured she take a seat. She looked around and was shocked to find that the only available seat was between the two hottest guys in the class. And next to the first guy was apparently his girlfriend by the way she was hanging on to him for dear life and glaring at her. And she was by far the most gorgeous girl in the class. Based on the way she dressed, she obviously knew that.

Claire sat in the desk and placed her backpack on the floor beside her silently. The guys were staring at her and the girls were all glaring at her. Great. Just great. This was the perfect way to start the year. She inwardly rolled her eyes and paid strict attention to the teacher who had just begun the lesson.

After a while, the teacher asked them to get into pairs for their next activity. Immediately, the black-haired boy leaned over and whispered, "My name is Myrnin. You want to be my partner for today?" He flashed her a kind smile that made her heart stop dead in its tracks.

"Sure, why not?" she said with a shrug.

"What's your name, if I may ask?"

"Claire. My name is Claire."

"Claire?" He tilted his head to the side and let his eyes twinkle with unspoken questions. "You seem a little young to be in this class."

"Yeah. I kinda skipped two grades." Claire shrugged.

"Kinda? What do you mean kinda?"

"I don't know. I don't like the fact that I skipped."

"You should. That's amazing. How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Wow."

Claire blushed again under the intensity of his stare. God, this boy was hot. She quickly looked away and focused on the paper the teacher placed on their desks. They worked together in quiet contentment. When they finished, Mrynin looked at her.

"Yes?" Claire asked, ready for an explanation as to why he was staring at me.

"Nothing. How can you be so smart? That's just been bugging me." He scratched his head for emphasis and then stroked an imaginary beard. "It's extremely fascinating," he said, using a scholarly voice.

Right then, Claire laughed and then tucked a stray piece of brown hair behind her ear. "It's not fascinating. Apparently, I am just a piece of bloody steak that's been thrown into the shark tank. It's completely petrifying." A shudder went through Claire's body and she tried her hardest to keep herself from actually moving.

Myrnin laughed. "Petrifying? I think it's positively adorable!"

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow. He had to be a liar. Just had to be.

"Really. Now what do you say you sit with me and my friends today at lunch?"

"Your friends don't seem to like me much." She looked around to prove a point.

"Oh, those? Nah, they're not really my friends. My friends are…well they're…hmm, you'll have to meet them. It's a little hard to explain them to others." He chuckled and shook his head. "In fact, this guy is Shane. Shane Collins. He's one of them. Ignore his possessive girlfriend, Monica. She doesn't mean anything. She can barely figure out that World War II was not a Chinese war." Myrnin smiled at Monica teasingly while she glared back at him and hissed.

"Um, Myrnin, does she sit at your table?" Claire asked in a quiet voice so that Monica wouldn't hear.

He shook his head silently and smiled. "Show me your schedule."

She took it out of her binder and handed it to him. All advanced classes. Pretty good for a supposed-to-be-freshman.

"You have all my classes, my dear friend. Shall I accompany you, then?" He smiled a smile so bright, her breath caught in her throat and nodded as she reminded herself how to breathe. "Great!" The teacher caught their attention right then so he couldn't say much else; just turned in his seat, straightened his back, and clasped his hands together on top of his desk.

Claire just turned and put her head down slightly so that her hair would fall in her face and cover her blush that was starting to creep up in a dark shade into her cheeks. She was falling pretty hard for a guy she barely knew. And it was starting to freak her out. But, yet, he was so nice. So spectacular, she had to remind herself to breathe and blink whenever he looked at her. Smart, cute, funny, and charming. She had to admit to herself, that at least she fell for a good one.

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_**I really hope you enjoyed it. The more reviews I get, the more ideas I have, and the faster I will get a chapter two up. I can't wait to hear your thoughts; good or bad. I'm open to many suggestions. Thank you for taking the time to read it.**_


	2. Confessions, secrets, and creepy vamps

_**Okay, so it took me a while to update because of some school stuff. Anyway, I hope you like it. Took me a little while. Oh, and thank you to LittleMissMyrnin, who showed me that in the last chapter I said she was sixteen, then, when she was talking to Myrnin, she said she was fifteen. So sorry! But I hope you can get over that. And thanks to everyone else for their encouraging words and ideas. People like: Tipsy14, Bexybabes16, Flying Penguins, and of course LittleMissMyrnin. I have decided I will thank everyone who updates. Hope you don't mind. But thank you nonetheless! Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Morganville Vampires. In fact, Rachel Caine does. But a girl can dream, can't she?**_

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Class ended and she slowly placed her things into her backpack. When she looked up from zipping it closed, she saw Myrnin looking down at her with a patient smile and warmth in those pretty dark eyes. She blushed for the third time that morning and hoisted her backpack on her shoulder. She smiled when she realized he wasn't moving. Just staring at her.

"Um, we should probably go to our second class, right Myrnin?" she asked nervously.

He blinked, as if snapping himself out of a trance. "Oh yes, of course. Follow me my dear." And with that, he was walking away toward the door. At first, she thought he would leave her and the friendship she thought she had made was all a joke. Then she saw him waiting in the door way. "Well come on, then."

She shook away the idea that he might have left her and smiled. She followed him out the door and listened to him gab about the teachers and the classes they shared as they walked the halls of Morganville High. He seemed intent on explaining every single detail of the school to her.

They sat together throughout the rest of their classes and he walked her to each of them. She sat in one of her classes, bouncing her knee. _Only two more classes and then it's the end of the day,_ she thought. Suddenly she felt a hand on her knee keep it from bouncing. She stifled a gasp and looked over to see Myrnin smiling an apologetic smile at her with his arm outstretched.

"Sorry my dear, but it bothered me," he whispered.

She shrugged and smiled. "Sorry. I'll work on quitting. Old habits die hard," she whispered back.

"I can understand that." Then he shook his head with a smile and continued to watch the teacher's every movement with an intense stare.

After that class, Claire was packing her stuff when she noticed Myrnin waiting for her once again. She walked with him until he came to a door marked _Cafeteria_.

"Wait, aren't we supposed to be going to class?" She honestly sounded scared. Scared she would be caught.

"No." He gave her a puzzled glance. "It's lunch time."

Blood flooded her cheeks instantly. "Oh," was all she could get out when she was so embarrassed.

He led the way into the large room with lots of windows, letting a good amount of light in. He walked to a table where a girl with wild black hair and full-on Goth clothes was sitting with a boy who had long golden blond hair and looked like an angel. He smiled at Claire and then looked at Myrnin.

"Hey Myrnin. Who's the kid?" he joked.

"I'm not a kid!" she snapped at him. The girl he was sitting with snapped her head up at her tone and gave the new girl a knowing smile.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"I'm almost seventeen," she mumbled.

She laughed a hysterical laugh and nudged the boy. "We got a live one here!" When she was done laughing she wiped a tear from her large bright eyes that were rimmed in black eyeliner. "What's your name?"

"Claire. Claire Danvers. I tested out of the sophomore classes."

"Well hello Claire. My name is Eve Rosser, and this here is Michael Glass. Don't mind him. He's a guy. Being a jerk is in his job description." Eve joked and Michael simply smiled and was about to protest when she glared at him. After standing there for some time, Claire finally sat down and Myrnin sat next to her.

"So Conwy. Taking a special interest in little Claire here, are you? How far does that interest go?" Michael asked with one eyebrow raised.

For a second, Claire couldn't seem to figure out who Michael was talking who until Myrnin answered back. "Oh shut it Glass! At least I'm helping the kid."

"She's not a kid," Eve stepped in before Claire could say anything. She could tell that they going to be great friends.

"So Claire," Michael said while he picked at the disgusting-looking lunch on his tray. Claire looked up from putting Ramen noodles in her mouth. "Any family here besides your parents? Like any brothers…or sisters?"

Claire finished chewing her noodles before she spoke. "Actually my cousin Rex is going to college over at TPU. He's coming over tonight to hang with me and my family. He's super cool! He's just kind of annoying."

"Why's that?"

"He's always wearing this weird bracelet with a strange symbol on it. I don't know what it is and he won't tell me." She pouted. The rest just bit their lips and looked at each other. She smiled. "Nah, he told me the minute he got it what it was for. That night he took me out for ice cream after my homework was done." She burst out laughing and her new friends visibly relaxed. "You guys actually thought that…I have been living in Morganville all my life…and not known what those bracelets were for?" she choked out between hysteric giggles.

"Not funny Claire. You really scared us," Eve said.

"Well I'm sorry." Claire calmed down and bowed her head. She suddenly felt cool fingers under her chin that lifted her face up to stare into the brown eyes of Myrnin.

"Claire, don't be sorry. You were trying to make a joke. Albeit, not a very good one, but a joke. I respect that. It's not easy to hang around older people." He said seriously as he stared into Claire's eyes. He smiled. "Speaking of older people, why don't my friends and I hang out at your house after school today to meet your cousin? I'd love to really meet him."

Claire smiled too and nodded her head. He took his hand away and she continued to eat. And then Shane sat at the table with Monica in tow. Monica threw Claire a dirty look and continued on her mission to please Shane with kisses on his neck. Claire felt the urge to gag but stifled it. Myrnin, on the other hand, felt no reason to.

Eve and Michael started snickering and whispering to each other while Myrnin kept pretending to throw up. Claire just stared at her food.

"Shut up, all of you!" Monica snapped and her eyes showed a dangerous glint in them as she stared Myrnin. "You are really gonna get it. Brandon will have your head." She narrowed her eyes and glared hard at Myrnin. He glared right back.

Claire gulped. She knew Brandon. Oh how she knew him. She met him during the summer this year while she was in Common Grounds, waiting for Rex to pick her up in his car to take her home. He didn't want her walking around in the dark.

_**^~^Flashback^~^**_

_Claire was walking into Common Grounds at sunset and grabbed a mocha. She sat at a table, put her cup on the table, and started leafing through the pages of her book. When she was halfway done with her mocha she looked out the window to find it dark. Right before she felt a presence sit in the chair opposite of her, her stomach clenched. '_Where the heck is Rex?_' she thought. '_What's taking him so long?_'_

_She looked over to see a boy with light blue eyes the color of ice smiling at her. He wore a leather jacket and his hair was disheveled on his head. "Hey there cutie. What are you doing here all alone?" _

_She glared and turned back to her book, not daring to say a word. This was definitely a vampire and no way was he going to try something in Common Grounds. She knew the owner well enough to say that._

"_Hey, I'm talking to you," the vampire growled. She stayed quiet and turned a page. "Listen to me when I'm talking to you!" Her eyes just continued to scan the words and process them in her mind. She reached out to grab her cup without taking her eyes off the pages and it turned out to be the worst decision of her life._

_His pale hand flashed out in a blur and gripped her wrist tightly. His irises seemed to have disappeared leaving nothing behind but two small black dots in the middle of his eyes and a pair of sharp, gleaming fangs folded down like a cobra's ready to strike. She gasped but otherwise didn't make a sound as she stared into those chilling eyes of his. _

"_You're gonna follow me and be a good little girl, right?" he purred._

_Claire nodded and grabbed her back and book in one hand while Brandon led her out the door by her other. He dragged her down the street to an abandoned warehouse and then shoved her into a dark alleyway, breaking the spell he had on her. His fangs were still down and glistening in the moonlight but his eyes were back to that icy-blue. _

_He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and pushed her up against a wall. He leaned his head into her neck and inhaled deeply right where her pulse should be. He smiled a cruel smile that sent a shiver down her spine and a heavy feeling fill her stomach with dread._

"_You smell so delectable. How can Oliver resist sinking his teeth into you by letting you walk in there every day?" he whispered to her._

"_Easy. He takes one look at me, calls me a bother and leaves me the hell alone. Just like you should!" she spat out viciously, finally finding her voice. If she was going to die then she was going to go out with a fight. "And I thought you couldn't touch me anyway!" With that she held out her left wrist to show him a perfectly sealed gold bracelet with the founder's symbol on it. "I'm Amelie's pet so leave me alone!"_

_Brandon growled. "I don't care whose pet you are. Now you're mine. And I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of dying. I'm going to keep you chained up like a dog and use you to my every need. I'm going to make you suffer for the rest of your miserable life. You got that? You're mine now, sweetheart. Whether you like it or not. And I'll even taste you first and mark my claim." _

_And with a wicked smile Brandon's fangs were buried deep into Claire's throat as he drank from her deeply, keeping her pinned to the wall with one arm and keeping one hand on the other side of her neck so as not to let her twist her head away. She screamed and he just smiled against her neck. Enjoying the warm liquid that crashed down his throat and sent his mind reeling. _

_Claire could feel her vision dimming, and knew that she was going to die. He obviously hadn't stopped so he wasn't going to keep her alive. Either she died…or she died. But before she could close her eyes to succumb to the pain that she felt, Brandon was gone and a loud crash filled the air around her. And with Brandon gone to not hold her up, she crumpled to the floor like a doll. When she looked over, further down the alley, what she saw made her heart swell with love and compassion._

_There, in all his glory, was Rex pinning Brandon to the wall with his teeth clenched and a fist poised in the air, ready to punch. "I swear to God, Brandon, you've really crossed the line this time. How dare you do this to a young girl; not to mention my kid sister? And when under the founder's protection! You, sir, are going to have a major pile of crap to deal with when I escort you personally through the back doors of Common Grounds to Oliver to be dealt with severely and without me being executed for giving you what you deserve." Rex was growling._

_Brandon smiled and spit blood from his mouth. "I will be punished but sadly, it would not even come close to death. So take me away to Oliver. Let's see how Amelie handles this situation. She couldn't care less about the girl. You really think she's going to give me a fair punishment?" _

"_She will. I will talk to her myself." Before Rex could throw another punch at Brandon, a whine that sounded like a cough and a cry of pain filled the air around them, causing Rex to stop and stare at her._

"_Claire, are you okay?" Rex asked. Oh, that sound was her._

"_Neck," she rasped._

"_Oh God." Rex was in front of her in a flash, inspecting the bite wound that they both knew would never go away. "Brandon, you will pay for this." He growled to the vampire dusting himself off._

"_Yeah, yeah. Heard it all before. Good night sweetheart. Hopefully we will meet again so I can show you what it really means to suffer." With a wink and a laugh, Brandon was gone. Almost as if he had dissolved into thin air._

"_Rex," Claire choked out as he scooped her up in his arms and started running to a hospital. _

"_Yeah Claire-Bear?" he asked, his voice thick with concern. He noticed her eyelids drooping and got stern as a tear escaped his eye. "Claire, don't you dare fall asleep. If you do, you might never wake up." _

"_So tired. Good night Rex. Sweet dreams." And with that Claire was sucked into the dark, dark oblivion of unconsciousness._

_**^~^End of Flashback^~^**_

Claire shuddered at the memory and opened her eyes to find the whole table staring at her. Except Monica of course, who just smiled a cruel smile, reminding her faintly of Brandon.

"You—you know Brandon?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Monica scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Of course I know him. He's my Patron." She showed us her left wrist, with a silver bracelet around it with Brandon's symbol. Oh God.

The rest of the table just stared at me. "How do _you_ know him?" Eve asked with wonder in her voice. When Claire looked at her left wrist, she noticed Eve was also his pet. Poor Eve.

Claire's hand instinctively went to the bite marks in her neck that were hidden under her long hair. She let her hair grow out to hide the constant reminder that Brandon could get under skin easy. He could just snap his fingers and Claire would come running, on her knees and ready to do his bidding. God forbid that every happened.

"Um, well, we talked, once…" She looked away, still running her hand over the two puncture wounds lightly.

"No, you look scared of him. What happened?" Eve pushed.

Claire glared at her, closed her eyes and sighed. Why was she getting mad? Not Eve's fault her life was a crazy train-wreck. Keeping her eyes closed, Claire spoke so softly the others had to strain to hear her. "We met at Common Grounds and when I didn't immediately do what he wanted, he led me to an alley and bit me. Thank goodness my cousin came to save me before Brandon could make good on his promise of making me his full-time dog." A single tear rolled down her face and Myrnin carefully and quickly swiped it away. She gave him a sad smile, which he returned.

She felt a short burst of confidence and pulled back her long hair just a little bit to show the scar that just couldn't begin to show the true nature of that scar was internal as well as external. The table gasped, even Monica and she shook her head to have her hair cover the scar again.

"I didn't even know that Brandon would stoop that low as to attack a sixteen year old," Eve said with sorrow contaminating her usually bubbly tone.

"I did. I just never thought I'd meet one who actually lived, let alone one who doesn't look like she's going to break down every five seconds." Monica shook her head and buried her face into Shane's neck before the table had a chance to see the single tear roll down her perfect face.

"Well, enough with the sadness, let's focus on something brighter," Michael said, forging enthusiasm.

"Before we do, I have one thing to say," Claire said professionally. The table looked at her. "Don't you two dare even bring it up to Brandon. One, his ego's pretty shot so he'll go after you or some other girl to prove himself. Two, we've already talked to the Founder and she said she had it taken care of. And three, I'd hate to see what he would do to me. He knows where I live and all he has to do is make sure Rex is gone, my parents asleep, and then he can either kill me or take me away in the dead of night."

Eve shuddered at the thought and worried about what her brother, the brave noble guy that he was, would do to avenge Claire. Nope, she most certainly wasn't going to tell anyone. Ever.

"So Claire, how do you like being with all the big kids?" Michael teased.

Claire smiled brightly. "Great thanks to Myrnin. He's been helping me through some of the work so that I understand it better. Although I really don't need it. I'm a fast learner. A great student I'd have to say." Claire looked proud and the rest of the table smiled, even Monica. How weird. Maybe, despite her hatred toward Claire, they could be friends.

"Whoa, careful Myrnin. You should probably keep your new pet's ego at a neutral level!" Michael meant it as a joke, but Claire stiffened at the mention of being someone's pet.

"Claire, you okay?" Myrnin asked.

Claire looked down at the table. "I'm no one's pet." Her voice came out in a whisper and Michael looked stricken for a minute.

"Oh, Claire, I didn't mean it like that. I swear!" He kept apologizing and Myrnin soothed her by rubbing circles into her back.

She looked up at him with eyes filled with unshed tears and smiled. "Thanks you guys. Thank you so much. I think that Rex will love you guys."

Myrnin beamed and watched as Claire walked over to throw her trash in the garbage can a little ways from the table. This was going to be a very fun little girl, he thought to himself.

He turned back toward the table and placed a finger to his bottom lip in thought as he stared at the fake wood of the table, tracing the swirls with his eyes. But he felt somewhere deep inside him for some reason that it was going to be a long adventure filled with challenges. Where he got that feeling he had no idea. He shook his head and smiled at Claire when she sat back down next to him.

The day went by a little quicker now that Claire was actually focusing on the teachers. The last two periods just flew by. They got out of school and met together outside the building. But Eve said she had to go stop by her work at Common Grounds before they could leave so she could at least get in three hours of work before she turned in for the night.

Claire, a little nervous about those three hours painting the sky dark, hesitantly nodded after some convincing that she was safe by Michael, Shane, and Myrnin. Monica, however, couldn't be bothered because she was his property and wouldn't want to hurt her out in the open when he could do that easily at her house.

They all just shook their heads and walked over to the coffee shop run by an old man…er, vampire, named Oliver who seemed to be stuck in the seventies or one of those hippie eras. He kept his long dark hair in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck and wore tie-dye shirts all the time. And his smile was always warm and inviting. But most people didn't pick up on the age and wisdom that hid beneath the deep, dark orbs of his eyes.

Anyway, they got there, chose a table, and watched as Eve rushed behind the counter happily to put on her apron and get to work with espresso shots. Claire smiled and sipped at the mocha that Oliver had placed in front of her while she read a relaxing fiction novel that she plucked out of her father's bookshelf. While she was reading, she reached out to grab her mocha without taking her eyes off the page and felt a hand wrap around her wrist instantly.

With a brief sense of déjà-vu, she moistened her throat to scream, but when she looked up, Myrnin was sitting there with a concerned look on his face. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at him.

"You okay?" he asked softly so that Shane and Michael and Monica, who were making fun of each other, wouldn't hear.

Claire just nodded and walked over to the bathroom near a table that was shrouded in darkness. As she came out, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand and her stomach clenched. And these feelings only meant one thing.

Before she could react she felt cool arms wrap around her from behind; one around her waist, the other covering her mouth. "Shhh," the voice whispered in her ear, his voice cold against her skin, causing a shudder to run down her back. She whimpered against the hand that held her mouth shut. "Good girl, now come on, don't want to make a scene, do you?"

She nodded and suddenly the hand that was around her waist, moved up to her neck where the nails slowly dragged across the skin there. She felt something warm run down and something cold and wet drag across the trail.

"Mmm, you taste as good as you smell, young Claire," the voice whispered. "I'm going to finish what I started this summer tonight. Most definitely."

"Now come on, girl, follow me." He didn't give her much of a choice as he dragged her backwards out the rear exit. Once they were out back, he dragged her deeper into the black depths of the alley and realized with a start, that the night was deep blue, mostly indigo.

When they were at the farthest the alley would allow, the body disappeared behind her to appear in front of her with a wicked glint in his eye and a sadistic smile that crept wider across his face. She didn't even respond to his presence.

Just looked him in the eye, gave him a haughty look and said, "Brandon, how good of you to come. Just when I was starting to worry you stood me up for another girl. Possibly younger. Like, twelve." She spat out the last word with disgust. But that just earned her a hard smack across the face that snapped her head to the right and spit out a little blood. She just laughed. She was hysterical, tears were running down her face, and she was tired of this.

"You will treat me with you respect, girl. I have no patience for your futile attempts at convincing me to kill you," he growled.

"Why? A hot date? With a six-year old?"

"Don't test me, Claire."

"I'm not. I'm just saying you have a reputation at stealing young girls away in the night."

"Yes I do have a bad reputation. I will admit. And I'm not afraid to keep it up and kill you right now."

"I thought that's what you were doing anyway."

Brandon got extremely frustrated and let out a loud, deep roar as he hit a trash can and sent it flying. Claire flinched but stayed where she was.

"Can I go home now? I'm bored." She smiled a ghost of a smile. Now she was going to die. Now it would all be okay. No one would have to worry. She wouldn't have to watch her back at night. And she wouldn't have to keep up with all the latest news in technology and actual news.

But her friends. She had friends now. Surely, they would miss her and mourn her death greatly. It wouldn't be just her parents and Rex at the funeral with a cold Amelie. This time, she had something to lose.

"Hey Brandon!" a voice called out suddenly. Both Claire and Brandon turned toward the voice quickly.

Four bodies stepped out of the mouth of the alley with one larger one trailing behind them. It was Eve, Michael, Shane, Myrnin, and Rex! She smiled. She was going to be okay.

"Back away, fools," Brandon growled. He suddenly struck out and grabbed Claire by the neck with his arm, keeping her locked into his body.

"Brandon, let go of Claire. We don't want another fight like last time do we?" Rex asked in a dangerous voice.

"Shut up."

"Ooh, good one," Shane said sarcastically. His voice was followed by a thwack and him saying "Ow" very quickly.

"Don't test me, boy. Ah, young Eve is here. Hello Eve. How are you? How's the coffee shop going along without your smiling white face?" Brandon sneered.

"That is enough Brandon." A voice said sternly. They all looked toward the voice. Really? Another member to the party? _At least he was on their side_, Claire thought.

"Back off, old man!" Brandon hissed.

"Brandon, let go of the child. Let go of Claire." That voice sounded like Oliver. Wait, Oliver was coming to save her? Why the hell would he do that? He and his hippie self. But the others apparently didn't know who he was yet or that he was a vampire. Well, lucky them.

"Fine." And with that, and a vicious smile, he bit hard and deep into the other side of Claire's neck, creating a scar that would match the other, and threw her towards her newfound friends.

But she lost her balance, went down and hit her head on the pavement, making her see stars and fun colors. Several things happened after that—while she was awake anyway: Oliver pinned Brandon against the wall to hiss undecipherable threats and consequences for him, Eve started crying, Shane got angry and punched a wall, Michael bent down to cradle her head in his lap carefully and looked like an angel doing so from her perspective, and Rex was busy putting pressure to the wounds on her neck so that he could control the bleeding. Myrnin simply stood there watching everything and looked pale.

"Rex," Claire rasped. "Rex!"

"I'm right here, baby. I'm right here. Stay here with me okay? Please?" Rex said desperately as he brushed a tear from her eye.

"Everything hurts, Rex. Everything. Make it stop Rex. Please!" She started crying harsh tears that seemed to sting her cheeks.

"I'll make it stop, Claire-Bear. I will. I promise. You just have to stay with me until we get to a hospital. This time, Brandon cut deep. Deeper than the last one. So we have to be extra careful. And judging by the blood, I'd say he might have nicked something he shouldn't have."

"Rex?"

"Yeah?"

"Wake me up when it's over."

"No, Claire-Bear. No. You stay awake. Do I need to slap you?"

"You can't, silly. Unless you want to hurt me more."

"You're right. Hey, I hear an ambulance coming. It'll all be okay. They will take you to the hospital and make you better."

"Okay. And Rex?"

He sighed. "Yes?"

"Two things. One, this is kind of like déjà-vu, isn't it? All over again," she said with a tired laugh.

"Yeah, CB, just like last time. Except, now I see you've made some new friends haven't you?" he teased.

She smiled and breathed in one huge breath before speaking again. "And two, I'm so tired. I'm just going to go to bed. Sweet dreams."

And she closed her eyes before fully hearing Rex's attempts at keeping her awake, the last image being Myrnin looking scared and yelling at her to stay with them. She fell asleep on a blissful wave of calm, carrying that picture of Myrnin with her.

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_**It's a little long but you know. Anyway, sorry it took so long to update. I have school, you know. Lol. But anyway, I was thinking about making the next chapter in Myrnin's POV. What do you guys think? Myrin…or more Claire-Bear? Can't wait to hear. Got writer's block. Just a small case but it's there. Open to suggestions! **_


	3. Waiting for her to wake up

**I want to start out by thanking all my reviewers. And by reviewers I mean people who reviewed, obviously. So thank you to LittleMissMyrnin, Snowdust 3, Nicolette-Croga97, and A Lake Elohcin. You guys helped get me off my butt and type something up. So I hope you guys enjoy this. I hope everyone enjoys this. I'm sorry it took so long to update. Christmas vacation, my mom wouldn't let me on the computer, and then school caught up with me because I got sick the week before we left so I had to catch up. Don't kill me. I hope this makes it up to you! Enjoy my readers!**

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_Myrnin Pov_

The group sat in the waiting room, waiting impatiently for the doctor to show up with some good news. Rex was staring blankly at a wall, Michael was trying to calm Eve down, Shane was comforting Monica, and Myrnin was numb. No one was here to take care of his emotions. Claire, the girl so in-tune to his feelings and thoughts after only a day, was unconscious from an insane amount of blood loss and possibly some other things. But if the doctor would hurry, maybe they would know.

"Mr. Danvers?" a man in a white coat called from the end of the room. Rex's head snapped up.

"Mr. Danvers is my uncle. He is currently busy and could not make it. He and Mrs. Danvers are having a night out. Do not disturb them. My name is Rex Danvers. Claire's cousin," Rex explained, got up, and stood in front of the doctor. Everyone knew the double meaning in the word 'out'. They had somehow gotten permission to leave the town. Probably for business.

"Yes, well," the doctor cleared his throat. Myrnin listened impatiently. "I think this should be explained in private."

"No. These are her friends and I give them permission to hear this. Please continue."

The doctor nodded and took out a clipboard. He flipped a page, his eyes never leaving the text. "It seems Miss Claire Danvers suffered a severe amount of blood loss, wounds in the throat that were a little too close for comfort to the jugular, and possibly a concussion. She must have hit her head pretty hard. We will also have to watch her neck. It looks bruised. Along with the right side of her face. She is asleep right now and can hear you. But I don't think she'll be able to respond. If you would like to see her you may. I think you can find her room." He finally looked up and his eyes widened slightly. No one knows what that poor man saw in Rex's face, but whatever it was, it was powerful enough to make him step aside and allow him to stalk past him to Claire's room.

The group was all in sheer agony. Monica and Eve's sobs grew louder, Shane's eyes were tearing up, Michael looked like he wanted to vomit, and once again, Myrnin was simply numb. He wanted to scream and pull his hair, but he couldn't bring himself to move, nonetheless scream.

They had all just met the girl and she was already extremely important to them. Even Monica, the ice queen, couldn't bear the thought of Claire being hurt. Myrnin sat in a chair next to Eve and Michael and waited.

About fifteen minutes later, Rex walked out with puffy red eyes and tear tracks running down his cheeks. He was a mess. With a throat clearing, everyone stood up.

"You can come see her now, if you want," he said in a raspy voice.

Immediately, everyone was following Rex down the hall to Claire's room. When they walked in, Myrnin gasped and his numbness disappeared, leaving behind pure unadulterated agony. There, on the bed was a girl with a bruise on the side of her face and her head tilted slightly to the side, like she couldn't move it. Wires were hooked up to her arms and she looked peaceful. Absolutely at peace.

Myrnin collapsed into the chair next to her head and held her hand. Tears ran down his face. He could barely even hear Shane tell him that they were going to give them some time alone. That they would be back in an hour with coffee. He simply nodded and stared into Claire's face.

"I'm so sorry, Claire," he whispered. "I should have kept a better eye on you. I really should have. I'm so sorry I let this happen. It's all my fault. Please forgive me. Please. I'll make it up to you. I swear. Just wake up." Tears were now just free-falling off his face and he felt like his entire body was burning. This was his fault.

"Mr. Conwy, how sweet of you," a voice said formally. Myrnin's head snapped up to meet the ice cold gaze of a woman in a white skirt-suit. Her pale blond hair was piled on top of her head and she gave him a cold stare. Behind her was none other than Oliver himself. But what was the owner of a coffee shop doing with the Founder in Claire's room?

"Oh. You're the Founder. I'm so sorry." With this quick apology, Myrnin was bowing to the woman who made this town possible and brought this beautiful creature next to him, to him.

"Yes I am. Please stand. Don't just kneel there." Her cool tone was seemingly melting in the presence of the girl next to him.

He looked up to see Amelie gazing warmly at Claire's sleeping form. Oliver looked like hell. He was in a black suit and was looking apologetically at Claire. He walked over to her bedside, moved her hair from her face and kissed her forehead.

"I'm so sorry Claire. Don't you worry your pretty little head about Brandon. He shall pay for his misdeeds. And when you wake up there will be one less evil bloodsucker in this town. I swear it. Remember when you said that about me and my kind? I'm so sorry," Oliver said in a pained voice. Suddenly he stood and rushed out of there as fast as he could.

Amelie followed him with her eyes and breathed a loud sigh. "Mr. Conwy, I hope you keep this visit from wondering ears. I understand you are infatuated with my contract. Please take care of her. I will be watching. She will be waking up soon. So be ready." Then Amelie practically walked through a wall. What. The. Hell?

"Claire," he sighed. "Who have you been hanging with?

Then her eyelids started fluttering open. She looked lost and scared. She took one look around the room, settled on a spot in the shadows and started screaming and thrashing.

"Get him away! Keep him away from me! No, not again! Get Brandon away from me!" she kept screaming.

The doctors, along with the group Myrnin had come with, rushed in, trying to restrain her. She kept screeching at the top of her lungs and whenever her gaze met Myrnin's, it sent a shiver down his spine. Her eyes conveyed all the emotion she felt: fear, loss, uncertainty, and once again, blood-curdling fear that gripped her so hard she didn't know where she was. But her eyes also held a recognition and love in them whenever they locked gazes. He didn't want to dwell on it. Instead, unable to watch her panic, he left the room without another look back.

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**So what did you think? Did I make it up to you? I wanted to give you a taste of how Myrnin felt about Claire. Did anyone get it? I'll be waiting for reviews! Enjoy. Love ya much! 3**


	4. Vampires aren't so cold

**Sorry for taking so long. Writer's Block and school really don't help with anything. I just want to thank my reviewers from Chapter 3. So thank you A Lake Elohcin, XXmelissaXXRayanne, LittleMissMyrnin, MollyxKookie and mileynina17. Thank you all for your reviews. Now enjoy this update that I have cooked up for you. Back in Claire's POV.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Morganville Vampires. That little honor belongs to Rachel Caine.**

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**When she woke up, Claire saw Myrnin's frightened face and her mind immediately went to Brandon. Oh god, where was the little creep? He wasn't still here in the alley was he? But wait, where was she? They couldn't be in the alley. After all, there is light here and she's lying on a very uncomfortable bed.

She looked around the room and saw Brandon lurking in the corner of the room, hiding in the shadows. Oh. My. God! She started screaming, not quite understanding her own words. She was thrashing around on the bed and other people came rushing in without a second thought. Men in white coats kept trying to restrain her. They continuously told her she was safe. But how could she believe them when the one who put her there was right there in the room?

She looked back in the shadows to find that he wasn't there. She locked gazes with Myrnin then went back to full-blown panic mode. He must think she's crazy. Hell, even she thinks she's crazy! Finally, he left and it broke her heart to see him walk away from her with such pain sitting on his shoulders.

Suddenly, all the tension left her body when she realized that Brandon was not there. Just her, some doctors, and her friends; all of whom were staring at the door with blatant disbelief that their friend had just walked out. Her body sagged against the bed and she let out a long breath. She was in the hospital…again. Wonderful.

With her head in her hands, she wondered idly why these specific things happened to her all the time. And what her friends might think of her. But they were all watching her with concern in their eyes. She looked over when someone grabbed her hand and squeezed. It was Rex!

She threw herself into his arms and sobbed into his shoulder while he shushed her and rubbed her back. Within seconds, the door closed and when she looked around, the room seemed empty but carried a very cold air. Chilling but comforting at the same time. Then she knew exactly who was in the room with her.

Looking up, she noticed her Founder and Protector, Amelie, standing next to a very withdrawn and tired-looking Oliver, her coffee-supplier and Amelie's second-in-command. Amelie was watching them with a cold expression but her eyes conveyed the gentleness she wished she could express. Oliver stared at the floor with his hands clasped in front of him and a few gray pieces of hair falling into her eyes.

"Mr. Danvers, if you'd please leave us for a short while," Amelie suggested. But everyone in the room knew it was not a suggestion, but a command.

Rex nodded and walked out, giving her a quick loving glance before shutting the door. Claire sighed and when she looked up, she saw Amelie standing at the foot of her bed with a sympathetic smile and sad eyes. Oliver was sitting by her bedside with his forehead pressed down on the back of her hand. With her free hand, she pet Oliver's hair and felt genuinely guilty when his shoulders shook with his sobs.

"Claire," Amelie said. She looked up to stare into Amelie's light eyes. "I am deeply sorry for the events tonight. Brandon has been taken care of and will not bother anyone else in Morganville. You are safe now, little one."

"Thank you, Founder," Claire said respectively, her voice a little raspy. "What happened to me?"

"Claire," Amelie hesitated. Oliver always hated omission and so he snapped his head up to glare at Amelie. He gazed affectionately at Claire.

"You lost a lot of blood, could have a concussion from your fall, and Brandon bit you so close to your jugular, one little nick would have made sure you didn't wake up." Oliver still had tears running down his face but kept his voice calm and steady, letting only a little bit of his anger trickle into his words.

"Wow, just all that? And here I was, thinking that it would be better than last time," she murmured. She didn't know entirely if she was being sarcastic and it gave her headache. But she knew if she touched her head and said it hurt, they would get her under the wonderful mind-numbing spell of morphine.

"Amelie, may I have a word with Claire?" Oliver asked. Amelie nodded and glided out the door. Before she left, Claire could almost swear she saw a lone tear glistening on the Founder's cheek. But that's impossible, so she shook it off mentally. If she moved her neck too fast, she might hurt herself.

Claire stared at Oliver while he ran a hand through his hair, successfully pulling out the ponytail holder. He muttered a curse word under his breath. She started giggling and he couldn't help it; he laughed with her. When that was finished he put his hand on her cheek.

"Claire, you know you're like my daughter right?" When she nodded, he continued. "From now on, the Founder has ordered that you live in my home until you are back to full health. Your friends may visit and so may your family. But she has decided that I can take care of you and with my connection to you, it would be a lot more comfortable with me around."

"What about my parents?" she choked out.

"They have been informed. They…uh…they explained to the Founder that they wanted you to stay here. They have been granted permission to leave Morganville forever and took it without a second hesitation. They requested you either live with me or Amelie. They want you under close watch since you are their little girl. They told me to tell you that they love you, but they had to get out of here because it was just getting so much. Especially with your dad getting sick."

Tears fell down Claire's face and Oliver wrapped her in a hug, comforting her. She sobbed into his shoulder like she did with Rex while he held still and waited. Then a thought struck her.

"Why can't I live with Rex?"

"Because, your parents wanted you with the two most trusted and highest-ranking vampires that could protect you from everyone. They asked Rex to live with me too, but he politely declined."

"Will they remember all of this?"

"Yes and no. They will remember their lives here but they won't remember that vampires ruled the town. They will just think that we were all very strange. They won't get to talk to you as often though because of some 'phone issues' here." He used air quotes around those two words and it made her cock her head to the side and stare at him as if he were crazy. Never in her life, has she seen Oliver use air quotes.

"Oliver, I miss them already," Claire said in a small voice and started sobbing so hard that her entire body shook.

"I know, and I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I should have been watching Brandon closer. Truly. I should have. But I was trying to help Eve with the crowd and lost sight of him. All I had to do was look up and I would have seen what he was doing. I'm so stupid! I'm a freaking vampire for Christ's sake!" He seemed to be muttering to himself towards the end. Claire looked up and winced. She had never seen him so broken and hurt.

"It's okay Oliver. There's no reason to forgive you. Because you did nothing. We will get over this together, yeah?" She placed her hand on his and he smiled sadly at her.

"Yes, we will. Thank you Claire. For you forgiveness, even if I didn't deserve it."

"You did deserve it. Now, no more arguing. We can do that at your house. Right now I'm sure Amelie would like to speak with me." She giggled, knowing that the Founder was never too far and always heard Claire when she spoke of her.

With a soft smile, Amelie practically floated into the room. She looked down at Claire and drew in a deep breath. Suddenly, Claire found herself in Amelie's arms. It was a little awkward but she soon relaxed into it and hugged her Founder back.

"Claire, how are you feeling?" she asked when she moved back to the foot of her bed.

"Just fine thank you. But I want to get out of here. I hate hospitals," Claire said and a shiver ran down her spine.

Amelie chuckled. "No one likes them. Even I am not especially fond of them. But it is a sad truth here in Morganville that eventually one of us will always end up here. Well, I guess humans will. Us vampires will only be here if we are said-human's Protector."

"Of course. We wouldn't have it any other way." Claire gave a short laugh and quickly sobered up. "Thank you Amelie. You are a wonderful person. Even if you tend to act cruel and cold towards others. You are warm and kind to your friends and family. And that is enough for me. I love you Founder. You're my Protector, the leader of my town, and you are like an aunt. I would say you're like a mom but you're more of an aunt."

Amelie offered a full-blown smile and whispered, "As I love you, little one. You are truly gifted. You'll never know if you're cursed or blessed with it."

Claire didn't have time to ask about it or to wonder why Amelie's smile had faded into a troubled frown with a tear falling down her cheek because her friends rushed in quickly. Oliver was looking at Amelie with shock and disbelief but shook it off quickly.

"Come, Oliver. We have much to do," Amelie said smoothly and disappeared into the hall with Oliver on her heels. Claire's friends watched with surprise coloring their face.

"What the heck have you gotten yourself into Claire?" Michael asked.

"They are my friends like you are," Claire said defensively.

"They are bloodsuckers. They're evil Claire-Bear. Surely, you know that by now," Eve supplied desperately.

"They are my friends! No different from you apart from their diets and age. What you are saying is cruel. And I don't like it." Claire threw her hands over her chest with a huff and Shane just scoffed while Monica looked on with wide eyes. "What Shane? What smart-mouth comment do you have about the Founder and Oliver? Huh? Come on, let's hear your snappy comebacks!" Tears filled Claire's eyes and threatened to spill over.

"Vamps are dangerous. You shouldn't be tied to them. They are just gonna hurt you like our dear Brandon did. I just think you need to be careful," Shane said with a hard tone. Monica nodded her head eagerly.

"Will you all shut up? If they are her friends we have no right to judge," Myrnin said from behind them all. Claire looked over through them at him in shock. "If Claire wants to get personal with her Protector and the coffee-shop owner then who are we to judge? Just leave the poor girl alone!" Myrnin stepped away from them and held Claire's hand tightly.

"Thanks Myrnin," Claire said with a smile.

"No problems here," Myrnin said with a laugh.

Claire laughed with him and ignored her new friends for the briefest of moments before looking at them with a look that screamed forgiveness and they all smiled and hugged her and apologized profusely. Claire just took it in stride and asked where her cousin was.

"He's helping Oliver pack your stuff to ship you off to your new home," Monica said. At this Claire's heart constricted.

Yeah she loved Oliver but she was really gonna miss Rex. Who else was going to eat popcorn with her, watch stupid horror classics, or even help her sleep with her usual hot chocolate and lullabies? Tears left her eyes and a new round of hugs were dished out. She was going to make it through this. Maybe she could get him to come over every night to help her sleep. Hopefully.

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**Okay, everyone, I've got bad news. I'm having some serious writer's block and don't know what to do with this. Either I put it up for adoption or I try to push through this stupid block. I need help! Anyone? Remember: adoption, trash, or crappy update is in this story's future. So when you review or message me, please tell me what I should do with this. Need some major help here! **

**Thank you for following this story anyway. I hope you all have great times in your writing and reading. Enjoy. Love ya'll! 3**


	5. Moving is scary

**I'm so sorry for making ya'll wait this long. But I've had writer's block and school, and drama and all that. I really hope this chapter makes up for it. I'm so very sorry. Please forgive me. While I'm at it, I'd like to thank my loyal readers and reviewers: Vampmarija98, Alanna-Banana1987, loulouflowerpower, and lunabloodmoon666. Thank you so much!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Morganville Vampires at all. That is Rachel Caine's property. Although I wish I did.**

She stood in the middle of Oliver's living room of his two-story home, watching her friends carry brown boxes marked with her name in black Sharpie up the stairs to her new room located at the end of the hall. She kept her emotions hidden inside her head so as not to let her friends know that she is upset. She wanted to appear strong. They wouldn't let her bring anything up because she had just gotten out of the hospital and the doctors wanted her to rest despite her protests.

"Guys, I can carry my own stuff!" she yelled to her friends already putting the boxes down on the floor by her bed. "I didn't break any of my limbs!"

"No, of course not," Shane said sarcastically. "You just lost a lot of blood and almost had your jugular nicked by a vampire creeper _and_ hit your head on the pavement hard enough to give you a concussion that left you asleep for a whole day. The answer is no. You are not going to carry a damn thing," he said with finality.

She crossed her arms and huffed indignantly. She jumped at the sound of a chuckle behind her. "Still trying to take care of yourself baby cousin?" a male's voice said from behind her.

"Rex!" she squealed and ran over to him. She jumped into his arms, hugging him tight. Tears crawled down her face. "I'm sorry! You can't leave me, Rex. You just can't. I need you. I love you."

His arms squeezed her tight. "I know Claire," he murmured. "I know. I'm sorry. I have to. You know how I feel about staying in other people's homes. It makes me feel weird. I could barely stand to stay at your parents' home. It made me feel bad. They are my aunt and uncle. It felt like I was mooching."

She sobbed into his chest, feeling her own heave at her cries. She could feel herself start to hyperventilate but she carefully took in slow shaky breaths so she didn't. She pried herself away from her cousin and looked up at him.

She looked back to where her friends had all gathered on the stairs with Oliver, watching her with sympathy. "I'm sorry, Claire," Oliver said sincerely.

"I know. Thanks," she said softly. She turned back to Rex after taking a quick glance at the clock. "It's time for your Physics class. You should go so you're not late." She wiped her nose on her sleeve and ignored the white bracelet around her left wrist with a bright red addition sign on it. A mark of immunity if she had no Protection and a reminder to her that she is weak no matter whether or not she has Protection. God, she hated this.

Rex knew the look on her face but let it go, knowing it would do nothing to draw attention to her emotions right now. "I will, baby cousin. I love you, Claire-Bear. I'll come back when classes end to give you your normal bedtime routine."

Her head snapped up to look him in the eyes, tears glistening in hers. "You promise?"

He nodded, holding out his pinky finger. She curled hers around his and he pulled her to him in a hug using the grip on her finger. It was their absolute promise; one that could never be broken. If it were, then they had a line of consequences lined up for the one who broke it that all depended on how they broke it, why, and if it was forgivable. This was not forgivable and he knew it as he stared into his cousin's scared but hopeful eyes. They let go and he left the house after kissing her forehead and not looking back.

She smiled half-heartedly. He was coming back for hot chocolate and horror classics. Her heart filled with joy and her smile grew. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. She looked over at her friends and raced over to hug them. They all hugged her back, except for Myrnin who was leaning against the far wall from her. Her brow creased.

"We're going to go finish unpacking everything to the best of our abilities okay, Claire? We'll leave the clothes so we don't touch anything embarrassing," Eve said softly.

"I'm going to fix up dinner," Oliver said.

She was then alone with Myrnin in Oliver's living room. "What's wrong with you?" she demanded of him when he walked over to her.

He said nothing but enveloped her in a hug. "I was so scared. You were so upset," he said softly. He sniffed. That's when she figured out he was crying.

She slowly dropped to her knees and he fell with her, his head in her lap. She kept murmuring soft words of comfort to him as he sobbed into her legs and hugged her tight. She ran her fingers through his hair slowly. "Shhh. It's okay. I'm okay. We're all okay," she kept saying as if in chant. The whole time, he simply cried. He was scared. And he was upset. And he was being held by the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid his eyes on. Hey, even in his moments of vulnerability, he is still ultimately, a guy.

"What are you doing, Claire?" Oliver hissed at her so that only she heard him.

"Helping him. He's upset," she hissed back.

He rolled his eyes and walked back into the kitchen where she smelled sauce boiling, and noodles cooking. Or was it the other way around? She shrugged mentally.

"Myrnin, you need to get up. I can't sit here all day," she whispered.

He smiled slightly but got up anyway and held a hand out for her. She blushed and took it, standing slowly. When she was up straight, she felt her blood reach her legs, giving her a brief head rush. She giggled and hugged Myrnin.

"I thought you were supposed to be comforting me," she said with a smile. He brushed a hand over her long hair.

"Yeah. That's probably how it should have gone." They laughed at the humor in the backwards situation then walked upstairs to watch her friends unpack.

They walked in to her room to find Shane wearing one of Claire's ratty old t-shirts, parading around her room, talking in a shrill voice. She smiled and put a finger to her lips to tell her friends who were sitting in a line facing him and the door to stay quiet about their presense. She leaned against the threshold silently with Myrnin.

"I want to be a scientist when I grow up. Or a doctor! Wouldn't it be lovely if I were a doctor? I'm super smart, I should be able to do it. And Myrnin could help me. Oh, did I forget to mention that Myrnin is _so_ handsome? And he's so smart. I wish that he liked me so that I could go out with him. But I think I'd do it so that I could get closer to Shane. He's so hot!" he gushed. Claire silently giggled into her hand while her friends cracked up. "God, what I wouldn't do to be with Shane! Myrnin has nothing on him."

"Jealous of Myrnin much, Shane?" Claire asked suddenly causing Shane to whip around and stare at her. His mouth dropped and a blush spread over his cheeks. "God, you're so hot Shane! With that cute little blush of yours!"

Everyone started laughing at Shane's expense, including Myrnin. At least she could hold her own. Shane puffed out his chest.

"I am hot. And this isn't a blush. I'm just so happy that you're up here to help that my face is turning red," Shane lied.

"Right," Claire said sarcastically. "Can I have my shirt back?"

"No. I look good in it." Shane posed in her shirt and ran around the room with her hot on his heels while the group just laughed. Myrnin ended up sitting with them, watching Claire chase Shane around her room. Out of nowhere, she jumped onto his back, knocking him down into the carpet face-first.

"Give me back my shirt!" she screeched with a smile. She pulled on his hair and beat on his chest in a failed attempt to win.

Shane stood up with her still on his back and wrapped his arms under her legs so that he gave her a piggy-back ride.

"Shane, stop! I want my shirt back!" she laughed breathlessly as he ran around her room again. Finally he flopped onto her bed with her back on the mattress and got up to face her. He then began to tickle her. "Stop! No! I'm sorry! Mercy! Mercy!" She was squealing and laughing until finally he stopped, smiling triumphantly. She got her breath back and then suddenly grabbed onto the hem of her shirt tightly. "Grab his feet! Grab his feet!"

Eve and Michael grabbed Shane's feet and pulled them out from under him so that he fell vertically. As he fell, Claire pulled the shirt up so then, at the end, she was holding her t-shirt in her hands. She jumped down to her knees in front of Shane with a smirk on her face.

"I win!" She kissed his cheek quickly and went to sit with the rest of their friends who were laughing and high-fiving her.

"Not fair," he muttered. He crossed her arms, pouting.

"Oh stop with the hissy fit Shane. You're just mad because we love Claire more," Michael shot at his best friend. He hugged Claire close and kissed her cheek and squeezed her tight.

"Can't breathe!" she gasped.

"Michael," Eve warned and held out her arms. Michael solemnly handed the little sixteen-year old to his best friend with a glimmer of love in his eyes. _But it was just a glimmer_, Eve thought. _Nothing to dwell on._

Claire realized that she was being held by her best friend and quickly jumped out of the girl's lap. She looked into Eve's dark eyes and smiled. "Dinner's ready," Oliver yelled from the bottom of the stairs. Claire's smile grew despite the quiet understanding that the two girls shared. Claire knew Eve liked Michael. But not this much.

"Come on," Claire said at the door, gesturing for her friends to follow. "Oliver makes some awesome spaghetti!" She giggled and ran down the stairs, her friends hot on her heels. "Oliver can Eve and Monica sleep over tonight?" she called to him.

"Sure. It'd be easier to keep an eye on Monica," Oliver joked.

Monica huffed indignantly but smiled despite herself and sat down at the table with the rest of them. After a very fun, very delicious dinner, Monica and Eve left to pack a change of clothes, some pajamas and other things they'd need for an overnight stay. Claire smiled when the door closed behind them. The boys left shortly after giving her tight hugs. She ran upstairs to finish unpacking, thanking and hugging Oliver for the dinner.

_Tonight is gonna be fun, _she thought to herself with a manic giggle.

**Sorry for the wait. Hope this made up for it. Please review. I need ideas for the girls to do in the sleepover. Think about it. The braniac, the model-wannabe, and the Goth. What's gonna happen? **


	6. Sleepovers!

**Okay, I know you guys all probably hate me for taking so long, but as I mentioned in my other fan-fiction, I've been pretty busy. I'm really sorry. Please consider this update as a sort of promise for a much better one in the future. Thank you to my reviewers: loulouflowerpower, lunabloodmoon666, BonnieWitch. Sorry for the length. But I'll try to get an update up soon.**

**And I've been neglecting this part so sorry. Disclaimer: I do not own Morganville Vampires. I just wish I did.**

Eve and Monica came through the door together with broad smiles and duffel bags under their arms. They embraced Claire briefly before throwing their stuff on the couch. Monica slapped her hands together, facing her.

"So what's first?" she asked.

Claire stared at her two best friends and then behind them to a skeptic Oliver. He was leaning against the far wall, watching them. He crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow. "Well," she started hesitantly. "We could start out with truth or dare." She grinned suddenly, proud of her idea.

Monica and Eve shared a look before grabbing both her hands and pulling her up the stairs to her new room where everything was unpacked. They sat down in a circle and turned on the radio to some channel they weren't listening to. They were just trying to make sure Oliver couldn't hear them that well.

"Okay, I'll start," Eve said excitedly. She looked between her two friends, locking her gaze on Monica. "Monica, truth or dare?"

Monica didn't even pause. "Dare."

Eve smiled. "I dare you to call Shane and tell him…," she trailed off, choosing instead to whisper it in Monica's ear. She gasped loudly and stared at the girl.

"No way!"

"You said dare. And the rules go, if you don't take the dare, you have to give up ten dollars." Eve raised a brow at the frugal girl.

She huffed. "Fine." She pulled out her cell phone while Claire watched in confusion. She dialed her boyfriend's number and put it to her ear. She waited. "Hey!" she said brightly. "Yeah, I know. Anyway, I called for a reason." She paused. "No! It's not that, Shane. It's something else. Something important. I wanted to tell you that I neglected to tell you that I kissed Claire earlier today. And that I'm thinking about batting for the other team. But I was hoping you'd be there if I didn't switch over." She sounded so sincere and winked at Claire's shocked expression. She stared at Monica in complete bewilderment until she hung up without waiting for a response on the other end.

"Oh my God!" Claire yelled. "What is wrong with you?"

"I took a dare," Monica said with a shrug. "Now it's my turn." She looked to Claire. "Claire, truth or dare?"

Claire thought about what Monica had to do. "Truth." She sounded unsure of her decision but tried to let it go.

"Is it true that you are afraid of kissing a girl?"

Claire snorted. "Definitely not true. I'm absolutely straight, but the thought of kissing a girl doesn't scare me."

"Well, then, I'll remember that in the future, Claire," Eve said teasingly.

"Eve, truth or dare?" Claire didn't even want to respond to the remark. She just trudged right on ahead.

"Dare." Claire thought for a moment before a great idea hit her.

"Eve, I dare you to go downstairs and tell Oliver that you are in love with him and that you have been since the day you two met in the coffee shop." Smug, Claire relaxed and watched Eve reluctantly stand up and storm downstairs.

The two girls silently followed to the top of the stairs to make sure Eve followed through on her promise. They listened to her confess her "love" to Oliver before she ran up the stairs with a monstrous blush on her cheeks. She glared jokingly at Claire and ran into the room and sat down where she was before.

Claire and Monica giggled and went back into the room. They sat down and continued the game about ten more rounds around the circle. After a fit of giggles from listening to Eve do an imitation of Monica, Eve stared at Claire with a smirk.

"Claire, truth or dare?"

"Truth. I did dare last time." She was far too reasonable for games.

"Is it true that you have a huge crush on Myrnin?"

Claire's eyes almost bulged out of her head as she stared at Eve's dark, laughing eyes. "Uh…?" Suddenly, the sound of someone yelling out reached her ears before she could answer. She opened her door to find the boys all huddled around her door, looking up at her guiltily. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "You're not even going to explain yourselves?"

"Well, after Monica called me," Shane started. "We were curious as to what you guys were doing. So we came here and Oliver told us you were upstairs. We meant to just knock and come in a long time ago but then we heard what you guys were playing. Curiosity got the better of us. We're so very sorry, Claire." He gave her his best puppy-dog eyes until it seemed she had caved.

She knelt down to his level and hugged him. "I forgive you," she whispered. Then she grabbed his cell phone from his back pocket and pulled away fast before he could notice. She ran off to the girls and they started looking through his photos. Giggling, she looked through pictures of him shirtless and then some of him sad, and some of him pouting. "Quite the supermodel, Shane," she joked.

"Ha, ha. Give me back my phone," Shane said sarcastically.

She held it away from his hand with a smile. Then, with a smirk, she put it down her shirt. "Now you can't get it without being inappropriate. And I'm just a child." She gave him her most innocent face. "You wouldn't do anything, would you?"

He sighed. "If you give me back my phone I won't tell Myrnin what I know."

"You don't know nothing." She glared at him. He whispered something into her ear and she squealed. "You wouldn't!"

"I would. Give me my phone."

She threw his phone to him and walked past him to her bed where she grabbed a pillow. Without warning, she hit him with it. "That's for threatening me!"

Then, the other girls grabbed pillows and started hitting the boys as well with loud laughs. They were all having a blast and just hitting each other with fluffy pillows from her bed.

"Well, I think you don't need me to help you get settled in, Claire-Bear," a voice said from the doorway suddenly.

"Rex!" she squealed and ran to him. "Yes, I do need you. We were just about to go to sleep. It's real late. Come on, let's go ahead and start the ritual!" She dragged everyone downstairs and held up a DVD case with the words, _Thirteen Ghosts_. "I'll go make the popcorn; you start the movie."

Claire disappeared into the kitchen, happy that Oliver had gone off to bed early.

"So do you think she was going to say yes?" Eve asked Monica in a hushed tone so the boys didn't hear them.

Monica nodded. "Definitely. Have you seen the looks that they've been giving each other? It's obvious they like each other. It's just a matter of time."

"So what do we do now?" Myrnin was asking Rex on the other side of the room with the rest of the guys around them. They spoke quietly so the girls couldn't hear.

"Myrnin, show her that you care. My baby cousin has always been the oblivious type. You have to do something big to show her you like her," Rex whispered.

Myrnin nodded. He looked to Shane. "Could you help me?"

"Of course, dude. Just tell me what you need," Shane said happily. "Michael will help too." Michael nodded.

"Hope you guys are excited, because I have hot chocolate and popcorn for all of you," Claire said, coming out of the kitchen with a musical lilt in her voice. She took a look at the two groups separated but ignored it and set down the cups and the bowl of popcorn. She went back to the kitchen and came back with the rest of the cups.

The rest of the night went smoothly. After the movie was over, the guys all set up blankets in the living room to sleep on for the night so they didn't have to walk home in the dark, where the Vampires lurked. The girls went upstairs and set up whatever they had to. Eve and Monica lay on the floor and Claire took the twin bed. Eve's sleeping bag was black with a white skull on it and Monica was bright pink with sparkles. Claire rolled her eyes, happy with her purple set of bed spread.

Rex sat on the edge of the bed and stroked the top of her head. She closed her eyes as he sang her favorite lullaby to her softly. Soon, her breathing evened out and she drifted into unconsciousness. Satisfied, Rex went downstairs and set up a make-shift bed on the floor with the rest of the guys. Then, for the rest of the night, and into the day, the whole house was filled with sound of sleeping children. It was a nice, quiet sound that no adult would ever complain about.

**Hope the wait was worth it. Thanks a lot. Suggestions and reviewers are highly encouraged! **


	7. The Morning After

**Hey, sorry for the wait. I've been so busy with other stuff in my life I totally forgot that I owe you an update. But don't worry, here's one now. And I am also working on my other stories so hold tight if you're reading those too. I'd like to give a special thanks to my reviewers as always. So thank you to BonnieWitch, loulouflowerpower, and DayBreakAlchemist. Thank ya'll so much for your praise. :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Morganville Vampires. But believe me, I wish I did. That's a lot of money I'd have. XD Thanks for readin' and believin'!**

The next morning, Claire woke up with Eve's arms wrapped around her legs and Monica's head on her chest. With a stifled giggle, Claire moved Monica's silky hair from her face very carefully. Monica moved her head as if she were a cat rubbing her face against something and hummed sleepily. With a smile Claire tried to move her legs but Eve only squeezed her arms tighter. Claire's hand flew to her lips and she hid a smile that threatened to turn into a laugh.

Suddenly Eve's eyes fluttered open and she looked down at the pair of legs she was holding. Surprised, she looked up at Claire with a shy smile of apology. She wiped the drool off Claire's shins before wiping it off her face. She looked over at Monica with a smile threatening to crack her face in half. She poked the sleeping girl's face and then bit her lip to keep the laugh from breaking through the barrier of her lips when Monica tried to bite her and ended up chewing on her hair.

Claire carefully slithered her lower body out of the comforters of her bed and had Eve maneuver Monica off her. The girls left Monica asleep on the bed and walked downstairs yawning, not really paying attention to anything. They walked into the kitchen and to the pantry for some cereal.

"Good morning girls," Oliver said from behind them. They jumped and turned around to see Oliver and the other guys behind him.

Claire moved very carefully behind Eve, pulling her oversized t-shirt down out of embarrassment. "Good morning, Oliver," she said nervously.

Oliver looked only at Eve so that he didn't have to see Claire not completely dressed. But Myrnin did not have the same idea. He looked around Eve with a raised eyebrow at Claire. He smirked when he caught her eye and she blushed. She whispered in Eve's ear as quietly as possible and Eve giggled.

"Claire says to stop staring at her, Myrnin," Eve said with a laugh.

The rest of the guys looked over at Myrnin with a snicker. "Myrnin, you weirdo," Shane said.

"Claire, you have to go get dressed," Oliver said.

"Yeah, I'm going. Only if you promise to shut your eyes so I can go without you seeing me," Claire said with a smile. When she saw everyone with their eyes shut, she ran up the stairs and put on her favorite red sweatpants.

"We should probably get her breakfast ready so that she can start eating when she comes down," Oliver said. He frowned. "I just want her to be comfortable now that she is going to be living somewhere she is not very used to yet. She didn't deserve to be yanked from her family because of this town and its inhabitants."

Myrnin put his hand on Oliver's shoulder. "You shouldn't feel bad Oliver," Myrnin said softly so as not to anger the Vampire. "It's not your fault. It was a tragic accident that couldn't be controlled by anyone except for Brandon."

"But I was in charge of Brandon. I was supposed to keep an eye on him. And this happened." Oliver felt the makings of tears prick at his eyes and quickly composed himself.

He heard Claire walk into the hallway and scream loudly. He ran up the stairs with the guys following behind him, ready to hit anyone who tried to hurt Claire in his home. Then logic jumped in. No one is able to get into the house except for….

"Amelie!" Claire gasped out. "You scared me, Founder." Immediately Claire fell into a kneeling position and, behind her back, gestured for the girls to do the same. Oliver and the guys were already in position and kept their eyes on the ground.

"Claire," Amelie said fondly. "Get off the floor. All of you." Everyone stood and stared at her incredulously. "I came to check on you, Claire. To see how you were settling in."

Claire smiled and rushed into Amelie's arms, shocking the Vampire queen. But the warmth that came from both the girl's heart and her skin proved miraculous as everyone watched the Vampire queen smile radiantly as a mother would smile to her daughter and hug back.

"Amelie, thank you. Thank you for letting my parents get out of here. It means so much to me that my father can now receive the proper care he deserves and requires." A tear fell down Claire's cheek and landed on Amelie's arm, though she said nothing.

Amelie held her tighter. She fell to her knees and brought Claire with her, much as the young girl did with Myrnin the night before. Everyone stayed silent. "It was the least I could do, my dear. After everything you've done for this town and everything you will do." A tear fell down Amelie's cheek but disappeared just as soon as it appeared.

Claire pulled away. "What do you mean by that last part?" Her face expressed her bewilderment. She looked to Oliver when Amelie turned away. "What is she talking about?"

Oliver turned his face from the intense gaze that this young girl was giving him. "I can't tell you, Claire. If I could, I would."

"You can't tell me anything Oliver? I find that hard to imagine." Claire stood away from the two Vampires angrily. "Why must you keep these things away from me Amelie? Why do you hide, Oliver?"

"Claire, you must understand. We will tell you soon enough. But you are not yet ready," Amelie pleaded.

"No." Claire's face hardened and her liquid eyes that held the secrets of her mind turned to rock. "I'm done. I am ready. I just dealt with some pretty serious and overwhelming information not even forty-eight hours ago. I think I'm ready to understand something else right about now. Either tell me now, or I walk out of this house."

"Claire, don't," Myrnin said as he took a step towards her.

"No Myrnin. They have to tell me. They have to stop keeping so many secrets from me! If I'm bound to do something, I at least want to know first. I think I deserve that much right about now. And don't you stand there and tell me I don't."

Myrnin's face showed his frustration. "Not right now you don't. You're acting like a child, Claire. They told you that they will tell you about this big secret soon enough. When they think you are ready they will tell you. Did you not listen to them? They are trying to help you and you just throw it all back in their face like it was nothing! You need to really re-think your behavior right now."

Claire bowed her head in shame. "I'm so sorry. You're right, Myrnin." She looked to the Vampires. "I am sorry guys. You're just trying to help. I am grateful for everything you've done. Really I am. And I'm so sorry that you have to deal with such an immature child right now."

"It's okay Claire," Amelie said. "We understand your emotions right now so you have no need to worry. Just stay calm okay? In fact…" She trailed off and looked over at Oliver who nodded slowly.

"You're ready Claire. And you as well Myrnin," Oliver said.

The two teenagers looked at each other then at the Vampires. "Excuse me?" they said in unison.

"Myrnin, Claire, Morganville is soon to perish. Oliver and I have tried our hardest to fix it but we've only put a band-aid on the situation. The moment you were born, Myrnin, Morganville's portal system started failing. The second you were born, Claire, Morganville started its slow destruction. Vampires started acting out more, as you noticed in Brandon. But it wasn't just Brandon. It's many more.

"You two are the keys to fixing Morganville. If you don't help the town out, all the Vampires will die. It's up to you to keep Morganville up and running. Without you, we all die." Amelie and Oliver looked at Myrnin and Claire with pleading gazes. The rest of the teenagers behind them, looked at their friends with wide eyes and shock.

After a long moment of silence, Claire and Myrnin looked to each other then back to the Vampires, basically begging for their lives. Claire started thinking about it. The fate of her town is up to her and Myrnin. Lives are at stake. Lives depend on her. The world started closing in on her as she thought about it. The weight of the world just landed on her shoulders and she didn't know how to ask for help. She started to hyperventilate.

"Excuse me?" they both said in unison again. And then Claire fainted, falling into Myrnin's arms and she wasn't even conscious to enjoy the sensation.

**So sorry for the wait, once again! I hope this makes up for it. Any ideas are welcome, and encouraged. In fact, message me or put it in your review any ideas for the back story of the slow destruction of Morganville completely in the hands of Claire and Myrnin. Gracias!**


	8. A Twist in the Story

**Hey, I am soo very sorry for the wait. School keeps getting in the way. And then it gets really confusing. I love you all though. I'm sorry! And thank you for sticking around. I would like to thank my reviewers: DayBreakAlchemist, BonnieWitch, Midnight, mrs-shane-collins49, and Guest. I hope this makes up for it at least somewhat.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Morganville Vampires. I wish I did but I don't. :'(**

When she awoke, she saw all her friends around her. They stared at her with concern. Claire looked over to Myrnin with apology and shock. She felt a single tear roll down her face. "Please, God, tell me I was dreaming," she whispered hopefully.

"I'm afraid it was not a dream," Myrnin said sadly.

Tears welled in her eyes. "So the whole town rests on our shoulders?" Myrnin nodded and helped the poor girl up.

Once Claire was up on her feet, Myrnin wrapped an arm around her waist and turned to Amelie and Oliver. They smiled at the two children softly.

"We are so sorry dearest Claire," Oliver said.

"Don't be sorry Oliver," Claire said. "It's not really your fault."

Oliver smiled at the brave child. Then he composed himself. "Claire, Myrnin, you two are the only ones who can save Morganville. Will you help us?"

Claire drew a deep breath and looked to the two Vampires in front of her. Would it really be worth it to save these "parasites"? She closed her eyes and nodded wordlessly. She heard Myrnin agree to help next to her. Her heart immediately felt a little heavier as a result of such a huge decision.

"Thank you. To both of you," Amelie said gratefully.

Claire didn't say anything. Simply nodded in acknowledgement and walked to her room. She shut the door softly and laid face-down on her bed. Before long, she was crying into her pillow, gripping the sheets between her fingers tightly. Her door opened so quietly she didn't hear it over her own sobs.

"Claire?" Myrnin's voice floated over her wistfully. "Claire, listen to me."

She looked up, sniffling. "I'm listening," she breathed.

"It'll all be okay. We'll work together. We will get through this side-by-side. And if you have to back out, I'll understand. You're too young for all of this. You're too young for Morganville. But I'm positive that you will get through this. It's just a snag in your future. You'll be fine. I'll help you. Understand?" His voice was firm, commanding, but soft, understanding.

Claire nodded. "I understand." She gripped him in a hug. "Thank you," she whispered.

He hugged her back and stroked her back. "It's no problem, Claire. Anything for you. Anything." He whispered the last part, thinking she didn't hear him but she smiled. She heard.

They stepped out of her room hand-in-hand with smiles on their faces. Claire would sneak glances at Myrnin when she thought no one was looking, but, of course, everyone noticed.

"Claire, what happened in there?" Shane asked teasingly.

Claire turned beet red before charging after him and down the stairs. She was screaming at him and he was simply laughing as she attempted to catch him. Eventually, Monica distracted him so that Claire could jump on his back, pushing him to the ground. She put all her body weight on his back so he couldn't get up.

"Take it back!" she yelled as she gripped his hair between her fingers.

"Never." She pulled on his hair. He screamed while everyone else laughed. "Okay! Okay! I take it back!"

Claire smiled and stepped away from him, jumping into Oliver's arms. "I love you Oliver," Claire whispered in his ear.

Oliver smiled warmly and hugged her tightly. "I love you too, Claire."

"Claire, we should probably start on the process of saving Morganville," Amelie said softly. Oliver felt the young girl tense in his arms and hold her breath. Her friends saw her eyes snap open and stare at them in fear. She didn't blink. After a moment, she slid out of Oliver's grip and touched her feet to the floor softly. She blinked before turning to Amelie.

"Then let's go. Let's get this over with," she said as bravely as she could manage.

With a sad smile, Amelie took her hand and then Myrnin's hand, leading them out the door. Shane and the other stared after her with tears in their eyes. They were in awed silence. Oliver followed Amelie, Myrnin, and Claire shortly after with a pain-burdened pace.

"She didn't say anything to us," Eve sniffed.

"She's probably just freaked out, Eve," Michael said. "Nothing to be worried about."

"That's easy for you to say," Monica snapped. "You always have to be the voice of reason! Why don't you just break down and cry for once in your life and stop being such a cold little boy!" Monica fell to the floor with Eve while they cried together. Shane and Michael looked at each other and shrugged. Partially out of obligation, and partially out of relief of not being the first to cry, they wrapped their arms around the girls. They all sat like that, on Oliver's floor, together, in tears.

"Where is she?" Rex shouted as he burst through the door.

Shane snapped his head up, eyes red and puffy. "Claire? She left with Amelie and Oliver and Myrnin to go save Morganville," he said thickly.

Rex's eyes bulged before he fell to the floor against the wall. "Oh my god," he whispered.

"It's okay, man. They say that she will be back soon."

Rex stared at Shane with suspicion before he stood. "You let her go? With them?"

"Yeah. We all trust Amelie and Oliver because Claire does. Don't you?"

Rex shook his head violently. Michael and the girls cautiously stood up to see what the problem was. "I trust Amelie and Oliver. The problem is that the people they left with aren't Amelie and Oliver!"

Michael pushed Shane over and glared at Rex. "What are you goin' on about, man?" he barked.

"Glass, you listen, and you listen good," Rex growled after pulling the boy in to his face by the collar of his tee. "My baby cousin and your friend are in serious danger. And you want to stand here and call me crazy? They are about to have a special ability they were born with tapped into and then released onto the world in a flurry of mass destruction and chaos." Rex shoved Michael into Shane before turning to the girls. "Do you have any idea where they were going?" They stared at him in shock.

"Rex, how do you know all this?" Shane asked in an almost hostile tone.

"Because I just got finished talking to the real Amelie and Oliver. They filled me in on the whole situation."

"And how do you know they weren't the fake ones?"

"They proved it to me effectively. Let's just leave it to that."

Shane seemed skeptic before he watched Amelie and Oliver stumble in through the door. They were covered in dirt, wore tattered clothes, and seemed dazed. "Oh my god!"

"Yeah. So those imposters have two people very close to us and are trying to kill us all. Believe me now, Collins?"

**Oh, jeez? What's gonna happen next? I don't even know! I love you all! Hope to get reviews soon.**


	9. Captured and Confused

**Sorry for the delay everyone. School is really tightening up right now. I will try to work on my updating schedule but I make no promises. I hope this makes up for some of the suspense I may or may not have put upon you. Remember that reviewers get recognized in the author's note of each update. And on that note, thank you to my kind reviewers: .**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Morganville Vampires…though one day I will simply rule the world.**

Claire opened her eyes groggily, looking around her in confusion. She squinted against the harsh fluorescent lighting that illuminated the room. She tried to get up from the sitting position she was in for some reason but found she could not. With a whimper of pain, she realized that a rope tied tightly around her waist dug into her skin when she pulled against it. She looked around her and saw Myrnin in a similar situation but unconscious.

"Myrnin," she hissed, unknowing of the situation she was in. He didn't move. "Myrnin." He started fluttering his eyelashes. She finally raised her voice. "Myrnin!" He snapped his head up and hissed at the rope digging against his skin as well.

"Claire," he breathed. It was almost a relieved voice. She smiled. "Claire, what's going on?"

"I don't know," she responded. Her mind started racing in panic as she thought about Rex and what he must be thinking.

"Look who's awake," an unfamiliar female voice said tauntingly. Claire tried to turn but her head couldn't turn enough to look behind her.

"Who are you?" Myrnin demanded. He, too, could not see behind them.

The voice laughed. They could hear her heels click against the floor as she approached them. Finally she stood in front of them both with a smug grin. She crossed her arms and opened her perfect red lips, flashing her gleaming fangs and letting her eyes flash crimson. Claire gasped audibly. She couldn't believe it! This couldn't be happening! She started to panic and looked over to Myrnin with a look of complete hopelessness. Her eyes glistened with tears and begged him to keep his mouth shut because anything they could say would get them killed for sure.

Back in Morganville, Rex was losing his mind. It had been two days since Claire and Myrnin had simply walked out of the house without the slightest struggle. Rex was struggling to keep his sanity. In the two days that Claire had been gone, Rex refused to clean himself. He simply couldn't afford to invest a single second to himself when he should be focused only on finding a way to save his baby cousin.

He was a wreck! He looked as if he had been through hell, and in a way, he had. Two days without shaving, and he already had a scraggly beard. His hair was greasy and unkempt. His clothes hadn't been changed at all so they hung on him, wrinkled and dirty. He had this crazy look in his eye that scared everyone who looked his way.

Shane gave him a nervous glance as he ghosted past the high school boy. When he was downstairs, Shane ran to Michael and the girls where they sat in Claire's room moping. He slammed the door shut as if that would do anything against the Vampires downstairs.

"Guys," he said hurriedly. "It's time to stop waiting and do something. Let's get Rex cleaned up and fed, then get the Vamps a little more sane, and then we can save Claire and Myrnin."

Monica gave her boyfriend a sad look. "Shane," she sighed. "We can't do anything. We're a group of high school humans. What could we possibly accomplish?"

Shane glared. "More than pouting."

Monica stood toe to toe with the man in front of her. "At least we are mourning instead of dreaming up fantastical ideas!"

Shane bristled. "Mourning? You talk like she's dead! She's not. Not yet! But she will be if we keep sitting her doing nothing! And they aren't fantastical if they are foolproof!"

Eve snorted through her tears, all her goth makeup literally cried off. "Foolproof? What's your big plan then?" Her voice was just barely above a whisper but everyone in the room could still hear her amidst the silence that had fallen over the room after Shane and Monica's little argument.

Shane turned to her. "First we have to get Rex cleaned up," he started his explanation of his plan. He then went through the rest of the plan with his friends in great detail so that they could follow easily. Sometime during his explanation, Amelie and Oliver had snuck up to the door so they could listen through the wood. They heard Shane conclude his plan and nodded to each other with a smile.

They looked to Rex as he ascended the steps with matching grins. "It could work," they both said together with a spark of hope catching fire within them. Rex let them drag him to the bathroom to carry out the first part of Shane's plan to hurry up the process. This was going to be their best chance.

Claire stared at the Vampire before her with a look of disdain mixed with fear. Myrnin kept staring at Claire as if he could dig through her mind to figure out what was going on by simply staring at her. Finally Claire spoke up.

"What do you want, Priscilla?" she spat.

The Vampire looked at her with mock surprise. "You know my name? Well that makes my life easier. Now I don't have to waste my breath saying it before I make you scream it in agony as I kill you slowly." Her face bent severely close to Claire's with a malicious smile framing her fangs. "But if you tell me what I want to know, I'll cut you a deal, pipsqueak." The name alone sent Claire into a fury before she spat in Priscilla's face.

Priscilla straightened slowly, keeping her eyes shut. She wiped her face and then grinned wide at the young girl in front of her. "I was hoping you'd do that." And without another second passing by, she raised her hand and the sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed around the room along with a small splatter of blood hitting the floor when her nails met Claire's cheek. "You wanna spit in my face again, little girl?" And, like the thoughtless girl she was, Claire did it again, earning her another smack.

**Once again, sorry for the delay on the update. Been busy. Reviews are most appreciated and encouraged. Love you all my loyal readers. Don't stop being awesome! **


	10. Rescue Team

**Hello, my loves! I'm very sorry for my slow updating. I'm trying to work on it. But I finally caught a break since I'm on Spring Break. I hope you guys can forgive me. I love you all. I would like to give out a special thank you to the following: Hayit'sSerenity, 3verose, Sobia, and UnderTheAlchemist. I appreciate your reviews a lot. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Morganville Vampires. I'm sorry and I love all of you!**

"Come on, child," Priscilla hissed in Claire's face. "Do it one more time and see what happens." Myrnin looked at Claire in absolute fear.

She was bent forward, her hair hanging around her bowed head. She was panting raggedly and blood was traveling down her neck from the various cuts that still adorned her cheeks. Biting his lip, Myrnin struggled once more against his restraints at the sound of Priscilla smacking Claire across the face one more time. She spat blood onto the floor and looked up at the Vampire trying to break her down.

"You're," Claire stopped her breathy statement to suck in a deep breath. "You're not going to win."

Priscilla shrieked, stamped her heeled foot, and lifted her arm to slap Clair again. Claire braced herself for the impact she knew was coming.

"Stop!" Myrnin's shout made Priscilla smirk to herself, slap Claire again, and turn to the teenage boy she had also kidnapped. "Stop hurting her. Please." Tears streamed down his face looking at Claire's nearly mutilated face.

"Oh, so little fish wants to talk?" Priscilla's taunt struck Myrnin as not just cruel, but also reminiscent of something Amelie once told him and Claire.

"I'll tell you anything you want if you just stop hurting her!"

Priscilla glanced at Claire's wide-eyed look toward Myrnin and then to Myrnin with a slow, crawling smile on her face. "What has my sweet, sweet, innocent cousin been planning recently?"

Myrnin stared at the crazy-eyed Vampire in front of him in bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"

Priscilla snapped her fingers. "Exactly! You don't know what I need. Only the little girl next to you knows. Amelie tells her nearly everything. Her. Not you! So stop trying to save your little girlfriend, and let me work with her!" Priscilla spun away on her heels and clicked her way to Claire, to continue her torture.

"Just give me five minutes with her! I can convince her to tell you everything you need to know. Just please! Don't hurt her anymore. Please."

Priscilla stayed silent and motionless as she thought about Myrnin's proposal. She sucked her teeth and sighed. "Fine. You have five minutes. Don't let me down, little fish, or I will eat you in front of your girlfriend's eyes." With a final hiss, and flash of fang, she left the room.

"Jesus, Myrnin!" Claire finally coughed out, exasperated. "What have you done?"

"I'm trying to help you, Claire! I can't stand to see you so hurt!" Myrnin was caught in shock at seeing Claire's reaction to his heroic act.

"Yes but I'm not going to be able to say anything. I was given a direct order by Amelie to not be able to say what she wants to hear. If I even try to utter the words, my throat closes up and I can't breathe. You've just opened up a whole new problem we have to face!"

Myrnin's mouth dropped. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." Claire took a deep breath to calm her frustration. "You better hope that our friends can come up with some sort of idea to save us and then go through with that plan within the next five minutes."

Myrnin went to say something else but thought better of it. He hung his head, sad that he only made their situation worse. Claire rolled her head back and sighed while she stared at the ceiling. She ignored the pain that bloomed in her face whenever any one of her facial muscles twitched. They waited in nervous silence for the next five minutes.

Claire was about to doze off when she heard the locks in the door behind her clicking. She snapped her head forward with a worried look on her face in preparation of the horror about to unfold before her eyes without a doubt.

"Oliver," Shane called. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Oliver said with a stern voice, ready for action. "Let's do this."

"Thank you guys," Rex said in a low voice suddenly. He was leaning against the staircase, his hair still dripping from the shower. "You have no idea how grateful I am for all the effort you are putting into saving my baby cousin."

"No problem," Michael said. "We would do anything for her."

Everyone smiled to themselves, happy that they were finally doing something about Claire's absence. They jumped into the car and drove off, following the directions Amelie gives their driver, Oliver. The car was flying across the Texas desert without faltering. Rex was silently musing in the back, going over his portion of the escape plan. Shane and Monica were cuddling so that they could get out all the emotions they could before they put their lives on the line. And Michael and Eve were simply holding each other, not saying a word.

"One more left here," Amelie finally instructs before the car stops in front of a small warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Everyone looked through the front windshield at the building in confusion.

"Why would she come here?" Rex asked from the back.

Amelie shook her head. "I have no idea. I just followed her smell. I can't read her mind."

Eve couldn't help but laugh at the "ice queen's" sense of humor. And pretty soon, the whole car was laughing. Everyone, except Rex. "Guys," he said. "Let's do this."

That simple statement was enough to sober everyone's spirits. They all quietly got out of the car and set themselves up for the plan. Amelie and Oliver began covering their scents with the human clothes and the mud they had gotten together so that Priscilla inside wouldn't smell them. Eve closed her eyes to brace herself. Michael stood by, ready. Shane and Monica took out a knife each. And Rex stood back to watch. Finally, Shane and Monica both cut deep gashes into Eve's arms and then into Michael's.

Rex grabbed Michael's bleeding body with Shane to hold his form up as he slowly grew faint. Monica held up Eve's body. Then Rex started shouting.

"Priscilla!" Rex yelled. "Come on out and see our sacrifice!"

Immediately, Priscilla stepped outside and took a good long look at the bleeding humans in front of her. She smirked. "What is this?"

"Offering," Rex replied. "We are tired of living under Amelie's patronizing thumb. We heard you were in the neighborhood from some underground Vamps. Will you accept our offerings and allow us to pledge ourselves to you?"

Priscilla looked caught off guard as she stared at Eve and Michael. She licked her lips and grinned, her fangs dripping saliva. "This is so unexpected. You sure you want to live under my rules?" Before Rex could answer, she answered for them. "Oh who am I kidding? I don't care what you want, you've proven enough to me."

She launched forward and gripped Eve's chin to force her to look up at her. She inhaled the smell of Eve's blood and shut her eyes in near ecstasy. Eve's voice came out as a whisper. Priscilla's brow furrowed and she moved closer. Rex's eyes watched Amelie and Oliver sneaking up behind Priscilla while Eve took her attention.

"We win," Eve whispered into Priscilla's ear. She stood a little straighter as she stared at the goth girl before her in absolute bewilderment.

"You want to run that by me again?" Priscilla's voice came out as a growl.

"I believe she stated that we have won," Rex said matter-of-factly.

Before Priscilla could say anything, Oliver's arms wrapped around her waist tightly and Amelie rushed in front of her, placing a wooden stake over Priscilla's heart.

"Priscilla," Amelie hissed. "You are going to tell me where you have the children and then you are going to give me the keys to the door I know you locked. You will do it now or I will kill you."

Priscilla spat in Amelie's face. "I don't care if you kill me, dear cousin. Try, and see what happens."

Amelie growled at her long-time cousin. "You'll care if I ruin that pretty little face of yours."

Priscilla's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

The wooden stake moved to her face. "Try me."

The two cousins stood there in a heated stand-off with everyone else watching them. Not a word was spoken. Not a breath was taken. No one moved. An ear-splitting war-cry erupted out into the silence suddenly, throwing every able-bodied person into attack.

Claire tried to turn her head toward the door, but knew for a fact that she wouldn't be able to. She finally gave up, hoping that Myrnin's death would go by quickly. The door swung open suddenly and Priscilla went running into the room. She stood in front of Claire with new determination written across her face. She raised her hand, where a knife gleamed in the low lighting. She brought her hand down swiftly across Claire's face. But a shove from Oliver rushing in moved the knife just in time to make sure the knife didn't go in as deep as was intended. Claire watched in shock as Oliver plunged a wooden stake through Priscilla's chest, into her heart.

Priscilla gave out one last gut-wrenching scream before her decomposing body crumbled into ash. Claire and Myrnin's eyes were wide open. Oliver stood up and stared at Claire with concern, fear, and shock all mixing into his expression. He cupped her face gently, examining her wounds.

"I'm so sorry Claire," Oliver whispered. Finally, knowing she was safe, the adrenaline wore off, and her emotions overwhelmed her. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell into Oliver once her restraints were undone.

**I'm so sorry for everything you guys! Lately, I've been caught up with nothing and everything at the same time. I hope you can forgive me! I love you all and I am trying to work on my updates. I'm very sorry. Please R&R! **


	11. Memories For Two

**For some of you, this is the long-awaited update. Well for you people, I hope the wait was worth it. For those of you just tuning in, it's been a while since I last updated so I hope you enjoy this one. I worked hard on it. And for those of you who really don't care…why are you reading it if you don't care? If you didn't care you wouldn't have stuck with this story for eleven chapters! But that's far from the point. The point is simple. I have finally updated! I pray you enjoy it. I tried really hard to make it worth the wait, and I can only hope I succeeded. I want to give special thanks, as I always do, to the following people who read and reviewed: crystalstar1999 and kindaxx44myrnin. I only had two reviews for the last chapter. That kinda bums me out. I hope I get more on this one…I'm starting to feel like my writing isn't worth reviewing….So please review. Thank you so much! I love all of you and hope to hear from you soon. Have a good life and don't forget to read the A/N at the end. It's important if you follow this story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Morganville Vampires; I just tweak the story a little bit. :D**

She awoke the next morning to the smell of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and fresh fruit. She licked her dry lips and sat up in her bed. A sharp pain exploded in her head and made her dizzy. She put a hand to her head, hoping to stabilize her now-spinning vision. Nausea crept into her abdomen, causing her to double over. She gripped her stomach and rushed to the bathroom where she felt the acidic substance pass her lips after a series of painful heaves. She took a deep breath to calm her destroyed nerves and stood up.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and stopped to really look at the horror that had been imposed upon her body. Her porcelain skin was now ashy and covered in violent purple bruises. Her body was thin and looked much more fragile than it usually was. Her wide brown eyes looked dull and lifeless from their sunken position in her gaunt face. Her long hair was oily and hung limply around her face. Her face was covered in gashes and cuts from her torture. She couldn't believe that just two days of torture could cause this much harm to her physical appearance.

"Claire," Rex's voice said softly from the bathroom door.

The second she heard his voice, she whirled around to look straight at him. She saw him leaning against the door frame with sad eyes. Tears spilled over her cheeks, stinging the cuts. She ran to him and embraced him tightly. She cried into his shoulder, happy to finally be home with her family. He tightened his grip around her waist and held on to her while she cried. A few tears escaped him now and then, but nothing he was ashamed of.

"Claire, I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I tried to get here sooner, but by the time I got here you were already gone."

Claire shook her head against his shoulder. "No, Rex," she said sternly with a sniffle. "Don't blame yourself. Anyone could have been fooled. It was simply bad luck, nothing more. It wasn't anything you could control. What is meant to be will be."

Rex pulled her back a little bit with a raised brow. "Since when did you start talking like a fortune cookie?" He laughed slightly and she laughed with him.

"Rex," Oliver's voice said from the stairs. "Is Claire awake yet?"

They both turned toward the stairs and shared a quick glance. Finally Claire made the first move, walking slowly so as not to disturb my swimming head. When Oliver saw her, he struggled to compose his smile. She ran to the bottom and into his arms. She squeezed him tight and buried her face in his neck. She ignored the sting in her face from the contact and the pain in her legs from running down stairs.

"Claire's awake," Eve said from the living room.

Suddenly, everyone was surrounding her and Oliver, hugging her tight. No one could ever deny the love that filled the room. Everyone took their time in embracing the young girl. When they separated, Myrnin stepped forward and looked at her with a shy smile. She wasted no time in embracing him. The group all vacated the area to give them some privacy.

Myrnin pulled her at arm's length and looked at her. He saw her wounds, both physical and emotional. Her eyes were filled with such sorrow and pain, more than he'd seen in most adults. Truly, her physical wounds were nothing compared to the ones lying beneath within her heart. She was so strong though. She was beautiful and compassionate and strong and never gave up. Then it hit him. He was falling for her!

With shock consuming his brain, he stared into her eyes. They glistened with unspoken emotion and conveyed all the thoughts she wish she could express. Her lips were twisted in a small smile of what he figured was gratitude. Why she would be grateful to him, he had no idea. He settled his mind and grabbed her shoulders. He leant down and laid his lips against her dry ones.

When she didn't respond, he pulled away, nervous that she didn't want it. She looked at him with wide eyes and then smiled slyly. She grabbed his face and pulled him back. She kissed him again and this time with more fervor. She smiled against his lips and pulled away. He looked at her with a dreamy gaze.

"I've been wanting to do that since our first class together," he breathed.

"So have I," she said breathlessly. They laughed together and turned to see Eve's white face disappearing into the kitchen.

Claire blushed a deep red at being caught and walked toward the kitchen. Everyone looked up at her and smirked. Shane whistled at Myrnin. Michael giggled. Eve cheered with Monica. And Oliver and Rex were staring Myrnin down like they were ready to beat him upside the head with a stick…or the frying pan in Oliver's hand.

"So," Shane said with a sly smile. "Now that the obvious has been established, we can move on with our lives, right?" Monica slapped his knee and smiled apologetically at the new couple.

Myrnin smiled brightly at Shane and wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. _Hmmm_, he thought. _I could get used to that word: girlfriend_.

Claire looked up at Myrnin with a shy smile, trying to hide her joy, but her eyes gave her away. They had light in them when she looked at him. They were filled with hope and gratitude and excitement whenever she looked toward him. She looked toward Eve and Monica, who were watching her with excited smiles and jumping up and down in their seats.

"Claire," Oliver said. She looked over to him. "Would you like bacon or sausage?" She smiled, knowing he was just trying to take the attention off something that made him uncomfortable.

"I want bacon and sausage," she said confidently. The boys cheered while Oliver grumbled. Obviously, Oliver was leaving the choice up to her and they wanted both as well. The girls shook their heads and went back to looking through fashion magazines that Monica had brought.

Everyone was laughing around the table, waiting for Oliver to finish making the food when everyone got abruptly quiet and turned to the doorway of the kitchen. Every person in the room fell to one knee and stared at the ground, not moving. Claire looked at the doorway and smiled. She gracefully dropped to one knee and stared into her eyes. They kept eye contact for a good minute before Claire could no longer simply stare. She jumped up and ran over to the Founder. She wrapped her arms around the Vampire who turned to stone at her touch and then warmed considerably after a second.

They stood in an icy, yet warm, embrace without talking. They didn't need to talk. They had a sort of bond that no one else in Morganville would ever have to their Patron. With her arms crossed behind Amelie's neck, Claire looked to the gold band encircling her small pale wrist. She smiled, remembering the day Amelie bestowed it upon her about three years ago. She remembered being so honored to be chosen as the Founder's responsibility and she refused to ever let her down.

_Her parents were out grocery shopping and she was left home alone doing her trigonometry homework at the dinner table. She heard a noise from upstairs and went to check it out. When she made it to the hallway at the top of the staircase, she couldn't see anything. It was empty. Puzzled, she checked all the rooms and found nothing. She was about to walk back downstairs when she saw that a painting on her wall was crooked. _

_She reached to readjust it and noticed that there was a button behind it. As curious as any thirteen-year old could be, she pressed the button and watched a segment of her wall slide up into the ceiling. She saw a stone staircase behind the hidden door and climbed to the top where she could hear a man and a woman arguing. _

_When she got to the top, she stayed hidden, grateful they had yet to notice her presence. A woman laid on a Victorian-style couch in the middle of the room with her thin pale hand resting against her stomach. She could see a red stain absorbing into the white fabric of her dress and spreading around her hand. Claire contained her gasp and continued observing the scene before her. The woman had icy-blue eyes and pale blond hair that fell around her shoulders and off the arm of the couch where her head lay. She was beautiful, a true vision in white. _

_She turned to look at the man arguing with her. He was holding a silver blade in his hand and was threatening her and Morganville. He kept telling her that she was weak and Morganville needed a real ruler, someone who would actually take care of the Vampires instead of the humans. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and had his back to her so she couldn't see his face. She saw a little bit of his spit fly onto the woman's face as he spoke. She decided he was very disrespectful as a man, even if she couldn't hear his words. _

_She stared up at him with misty eyes. She looked like she was dying. He simply continued to ramble about how he would run Morganville when he became "king" of the town. She tried to say something, but he growled and shoved the blade deep into her side. Claire watched the white fabric turn red around the blade. He pulled it out and continued his speech. _

_The woman was breathing heavily and could barely focus on the man speaking to her. But her eyes flashed to Claire's and widened slightly with a faded horror that a child should see her die. She turned back to the man and opened her mouth to speak once more, perhaps to warn him of the witness so that he could at least move their situation somewhere more private. Claire had to admit, she was nothing if not considerate. _

"_I said to shut your mouth, Amelie," the man roared and stabbed her again. Claire rested her palm against her mouth to keep herself from screaming. Amelie! That's the Founder dying on her couch! And that must be another Vampire, come to try to take over. Claire, the scared and mousy little teenager she was, grew determined and felt bravery bloom in her chest._

_She stood tall and took a step into the room. The sound of the door sliding closed behind her gathered the man's attention and he snapped his head to her with cruel red eyes. He hissed, flashing his ivory fangs at her in warning. She simply lifted her chin a little bit and stood her ground. Besides, it was too late to back down as she had no idea how to get out of the room. _

_He got in her face and leaned down so they were eye-to-eye. "This doesn't concern you little girl," he hissed. _

_She felt his spit hit her face and pulled her face away. She wiped her cheeks and looked back at him, defiance raging in her eyes. "I think it does," she said quietly. "I think anyone threatening to harm the Founder and the town in one single sentence is definitely of my concern."_

_He roared loud enough to rattle her bones and held the now-bloody blade to her neck. She didn't flinch. She could feel the warm metal pushing against her skin, drawing blood. She still refused to show him weakness. She only raised her eyebrow in a challenge._

_He was so focused on intimidating her with his red eyes that he didn't pay attention to anything else. Claire slowly moved her hands up from her sides so that he wouldn't notice and lifted them around his head. He was almost touching her nose with his so he didn't even notice. Then, she grabbed his hair between her fingers and pulled his head back. She ran around him quickly and pulled his head back against her knee before shoving him forward against the wall. He was caught by surprise and dropped his blade. Claire didn't even need to look to where it was. She simply continued looking at his eyes and watching him flash his gaze to the blade that appeared to be laying against the wood only a few feet to her right. _

_That second was all she needed. She dove to the blade and landed directly on it. She could feel it cut into her side a little bit but ignored the burning pain and picked it up in her hands. It felt weird to hold it within her tiny fingers. She pointed it at him and he raised his hands, palms facing her, as if in surrender. But she wasn't naïve enough to think that he would give up that easily. He was a Vampire, for crying out loud!_

_She smirked, adrenaline filling her veins and focusing her vision so sharply that she could see his individual strands of hair flutter in the slight breeze from the vent above them. He glared at her and finally decided to charge. She thanked God that her cousin forced her to join a self-defense class at the University. It may not have been specifically for Vampires, but he was acting just like the example the teacher used for a larger man charging you without any tactic. _

_She slid over to the left and when he passed her, she spun around and sliced the blade against his back. It cut through his shirt and cut his skin; the blade must have been real silver because the wound began to sizzle. He hissed and turned to catch her, when she sliced the weapon through the skin of his neck. He started screaming and fell to the floor while holding his hand to the wound to keep the blood in his body. He was starting to heal, though, and she could see his skin trying to regenerate. But she wasn't going to allow that to happen. She kicked his chest so that he landed on his back. She sat on his chest and stabbed the blade through the middle of his neck until she felt the wooden floor beneath the tip. She struggled, but managed to move the knife to one side of his neck and then to the other. She sliced off the last bit of muscle connecting his head to his body and watched it roll on the floor toward where Amelie lay unconscious on the couch, breathing too lightly. _

_She kicked the body far away and rushed over to her Founder. She cradled her head in her hands and went through the different options she had to safe her Founder. She saw that her fangs were down and an idea struck her. She smiled and whispered to Amelie, "Drink." She cut her wrist with the blade and laid the flesh against Amelie's pale lips. She felt the sharp stab of the fangs before she saw her eyes open. Amelie gripped her arm to keep her still as she drank heavily from Claire's small body. _

_The world was slowly fading to black at the edge of her vision as she stared ahead at the burn mark on the far wall. She smiled dreamily, thinking that it looked like a face. Amelie kept drinking, feeling her strength returning. She felt her wounds healing and rolled her eyes to the back of her head as the warm syrupy liquid rolled down her throat. She ignored the strange sensation of a warm liquid dragging off her lip and down her chin onto her neck. She was all too lost in the blood of the small child before her. _

_Claire swayed slightly on her knees but was able to hold herself mostly stable as she continued to allow Amelie to drink from her. She could feel the pull of her blood being drained from her veins and thought it was the single most painful yet pleasurable feeling in the world; but what's pain without pleasure, and vice versa? It felt like a nail was being dragged down her forearm, but from beneath her skin. She shuddered at the feeling and shut her eyes to better focus her attention on the feeling. It was like a strong pulling on a thick rope in her arm. She could barely breathe. It felt like her head was getting lighter. She put her free hand against the side of her head because it felt like it was about to roll off her shoulders and onto the floor like that Vamipre from earlier. _

_Amelie's grip tightened on her arm, her nails digging into the girl's flesh. She had no idea who this young lady was but it was clear she was dedicated and loyal to her. She respected that in a young human. She didn't get to see too many of those. For some reason, she couldn't even remember how she got there. As she continued to drink, the memories flooded her vision and mind with the blood. She saw it all. She continued to drink to keep the memories flowing. _

_She saw herself being shoved into the portal in her office and landed on a wooden floor. She watched as Mateo, an old Vampire stuck in his ways, stabbed her in her heart with his silver knife fifteen consecutive times, leaving her weak. She saw her falling on the couch and laying there, holding her chest. When she tried to talk to him, he stabbed her abdomen and yelled at her. He started lecturing her about how she ruled her town. She could hardly keep up the strength to hear him when he moved out of her line of vision, clearing the way for her to see a young girl standing at the stairs, hiding from them._

_She tried to warn the other Vampire, but he stabbed her again. She remembered the blinding pain. She saw the girl step up and start talking the Vampire fearlessly. She watched him hiss at the girl and shove his knife against her neck. Then she lost all consciousness._

_Amelie let go of the girl's wrist quickly and jumped up in a crouched position in front of the girl to guard her from him. She was sure he would kill her and would not be merciful about it. It didn't register with her until after she heard the girl hit the floor that the girl was still alive and Mateo was nowhere to be found. She stood straight, cautious but curious. Then she saw a something on the floor fluttering in the wind. It was hair! It was Mateo's hair! She gripped the strands between her slender fingers and picked it up. Then she saw it. It was Mateo's head! Apart from his body! His eyes were rolled back into his head and his fangs were out. She could hardly believe it!_

_She looked from the head to the body lying on the floor a few yards away and then to the girl lying unconscious on the floor. Then it hit her. She gasped. "Oh dear God," she whispered. She fell to her knees beside the girl and lifted her head into her lap. She smoothed the girl's hair out of her peaceful face. She truly admired this girl. She stood against one of the most dangerous Vampires in the world and fought bravely and fairly and still was able to win and come out of it safely. It was both splendid and outrageous. She just couldn't believe it. She checked the girl's heartbeat, just in case she was on the edge of death and wanted to save her Founder in her dying breath. The girl was alive!_

_She took a deep breath and gently rested her hands against the girl's temples. She closed her eyes and let the girl's memories fill her own mind. She watched the girl fight off her attacker bravely. She watched her watch her Founder almost die. She saw everything in the girl's eyes and was amazed at how this young girl laid down her life just to give this old Vampire a few extra moments to wake up and get back in the game. A single tear left her eye and dripped against Claire's face. _

_She removed her hands and bent over her, holding her close so that Claire's face was against her shoulder. She rocked them together as she sobbed into her hair. This girl was truly amazing! She didn't know how she was going to help the young warrior when she woke up, but she knew she had to. She was forever in this human's debt._

_She took her body down the stairs just in time to see a family walking around the house going on with their lives as if their family member wasn't just upstairs almost losing her life. It looked like the parents were unpacking groceries and a young man was relaxing on their couch. She made her presence known. The family dropped to their knee in respect, not registering the limp body in her arms. When the young man did, he gasped and almost cried. _

_He ran to her and took the girl from her. He looked at Amelie with a million questions in his eyes. "She needs rest. I'll explain everything later. But she needs to sleep," she said commandingly. She didn't need to say anything else. The family worked on getting her on the couch so she could be comfortable. _

_Claire opened her eyes slowly to the sound of a familiar voice talking to her family. She sat up, wincing at the pain in her side, and looked over the back of the couch to the Founder telling a tale about a girl who saved her life. Claire's eyes widened as she listened. There's no way that happened. She thought about it and realized she had a dream about saving the Founder. She wondered if there was a connection and cleared her throat. Her parents and her cousin, Rex, swarmed around her asking if she was ok._

"_Of course I'm okay," she said in confusion. "Why wouldn't I be? And why does my side hurt?"_

_Amelie spoke then. "Do you not remember, little child? You saved my life today. I don't know how I will ever completely repay you for your bravery." And then the Founder did the one thing she never thought she would see. She walked to stand in front of Claire and dropped to her knee as gracefully as an age-old Vampire could in a dress. She held Claire's hand in her own and laid her forehead against it. She kissed the back of Claire's hand and stood once more. _

"_Claire Danvers, I do not usually do things like this, but I shall make an exception for such a fine young lady," Amelie said with all her authority. "For your bravery and your dedication to your town and to your Founder, I offer you the opportunity to live under my personal protection for the rest of your days. I also extend this offer to your future children and spouse. Do you accept?"_

_Claire stared up into the bright eyes of her Founder. She noticed the Vampire had piled her hair into a beautiful up-do that she wore like a crown. Then she held out a shiny gold bracelet in front of her face. She saw the white markings arranged into the symbol of the Founder and stared at it in absolute awe. She simply couldn't believe this was happening. _

_She only nodded and held out her left wrist. Amelie smiled very slightly and wrapped the bracelet around her wrist. She held the two ends between her index finger and thumb and seemed to squeeze it for a moment. Then Claire felt a quick heat coming from the ends that Amelie held. When Amelie removed her hand, the bracelet was sealed shut. She admired her new jewelry that spoke more about her than any autobiography could. Tears filled her eyes. And common sense left her as she jumped into Amelie's arms and hugged her tight. Her family held their breath, waiting for the reaction they expected._

_But Amelie only seemed shocked for a quick minute and then smiled bright. She wrapped her arms around Claire and hugged her tight. "Thank you, little one," she whispered._

Claire smiled at the memory and pulled away from Amelie. They shared a long look of understanding as they realized they were remembering the same thing and winked. They smiled and Claire giggled before she stepped back toward her friends. She took Myrnin's hand and smiled at Amelie. Amelie had given her the chance to have this life. She could never repay her for this generosity.

Claire looked around at her little family and knew that life was going to be good from here on out. She turned to see Eve and Michael kissing and smiled. Monica and Shane held each other's gazes fondly, sharing a very intimate moment. Rex looked down at her with love in his eyes. Oliver and Amelie both looked toward each other and then looked away from each other bashfully. Claire smirked; she knew they had a thing going for each other. Then she finally looked to Myrnin, who looked back at her with all his emotions filling his eyes. He looked at her like she was the only girl who would ever hold his attention like this. She smiled and leaned into him.

_Yes_, she thought. _Life was truly grand_.

**Thank you so much for reading, my lovelies! I really appreciate all your patience with my slow update pattern. Please read and review. I'm thinking about ending it here, but I don't know if I want to. I will put up a poll and you can also send me your opinion in a PM/review. Either will be greatly appreciated. Your choices are as follows: I end it here, I write an epilogue, or I write another chapter. Up to y'all. Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you so much! I love all of you!**


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